China's Year of the Dog bounds into view

IN this Lunar New Year, the stars seem to be aligning for China. President Xi is providing steady leadership, "One Belt, One Road" is spurring massive regional investments, China's R&D spend could soon overtake the US and A-shares will be added to MSCI's emerging-market index in May.

From Feb 16, we ushered in the Year of the Dog - and the first "earth dog" year since 1958. This seems like an auspicious start not just for China, but for Asia at large. Dogs are seen to be loyal, trustworthy and reliable, and earth dogs are viewed as quietly self-confident and hard-working. So, in contrast to the volatility that dominated the Year of the Rooster in 2017, here are a few ways in which we could see some canine constructiveness taking root in China this year.

A bold bark announces serious intentions