Edward Law, was one of the moderators for the recent 2008 Globe Forum for Business in Stockholm. Law, who is business anchor for CCTV International's BizChina program, joined the network in 2003, after working in financial institutions in London and Hong Kong for nearly a decade. He shares his views on a range of issues, from the economy to the coming Olympic Games, with Radio86 readers.

On the economy

The outlook for the economy remains very robust and strong. The serious problems would be a question of inflation and whether there's a bubble in the asset classes like property and stocks; but generally, the prospects are very good.

Ordinary Chinese are benefiting from the country's strong economic performance. One evidence of this trickle-down effect is that a lot of low-end jobs are just not being filled. A lot of people, working in construction or other industries, for example, go away for the Chinese New Year and don't come back. People have options now and if they are not satisfied with their current position or think it's going nowhere, they don't have to go back to work. The trickle-down effect is visible in sufficient savings, a sense of options and also more opportunities being created in the economy.

On sustainability

You'd be surprised at the amount of effort and energy the government is putting into sending out the message about sustainability. It's not a new message. But, in a market economy, you can't force people or tell them how to spend or invest their money. All you can do is set examples and this takes time to filter through to different levels of the economy.

Sustainability is taking root in the minds of ordinary Chinese, albeit in different levels. Some, like employees of large companies or those built on the idea of sustainability, are on the cutting edge. But there are some to whom sustainability is not a priority yet. To be fair, if a person has to worry if they can take one shower a week or get five hours off on the weekend, asking them to think of sustainability issues is a lot to ask. There are still a lot of poor people whose main concern is raising their income.

On government policies

The government is responsible for policy setting, regulation and implementation. They have to use both the carrot and the stick. They can't be too tough. You have to give people time to change and that's the Chinese government's style.

Because China is so large, the government has to consider its decisions very carefully. There's a lot more consensus-building, more caution, when making decisions. Someone has to take responsibility when things go wrong. It's also about setting precedents for an economy that is already going too fast in some people's opinion.

However, people have been saying that once the Chinese government has made a decision, things tend to happen quickly. They know that when they go to China looking for collaboration, they need to develop the right consensus. Once that consensus is built, things will get done quickly.

On Chinese vs Western media

Both the Chinese and the Western media seem to be reacting to their perception of each other, not necessarily to the reality of the situation. The more one side shouts, the other side shouts back just as hard. It's not surprising that there's a difference of opinion.

There's also the question of who's signing the checks, as every media outlet needs the salaries to be paid. Who's the boss? Is it the advertiser? The state? It becomes a problem when false impressions that have a detrimental effect are spread irresponsibly.

Media is just like any other product or service. If people are buying it, then you keep selling it. It's an easy sale to sell people into believing that their concepts of China are good and secure by providing more evidence to support their position. China is a very challenging environment because you constantly have to be reviewing your own beliefs. It's constantly changing.

On media openness

Every country has its own rules. Media organizations who have greater ambitions in China might get frustrated because China might not want what they want. Journalists, like any other group, are frustrated with their specific circumstances. A lot of established media organizations have been in China a very long time and they have become part of the fabric of the media.

I think the openness in the press is not going to be temporary. It's very difficult to go backwards once precedents have been set. Besides, the interesting thing is that, once people are exposed to new forms of media, they expect more, not less.

On the Olympics

The Chinese people have always had a certain pride about their ability to do things as a country. The government has emphasized that everybody is involved. A lot of people have taken it upon themselves to do their share for the country by volunteering and making sacrifices they otherwise wouldn't have been making. It's a reason to be proud. It's also a celebration of China's changed status from a relatively weaker country to a stronger country. There's a lot of momentum and commitment behind the Beijing Olympics.

Interestingly enough, the recent negative press from some quarters has actually reinforced the resolve of the Chinese people to make the Beijing Games work. The Chinese are determined to have their fun, have their moment in the sun.

As a result of the Olympics, I think the Chinese people will have more of a can-do attitude and understand better how individuals can take part in their country's journey. That's always a good thing – to build a sense of community and public-spiritedness.

It's not even about getting all the golds, but about having a positive attitude towards competition and appreciating other people's efforts. I think the Chinese people, through the Olympics, will definitely learn that.