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Liberalism has brought sharp reductions in both poverty and international inequality. The past half-century can be seen as a long exploration of the power of liberal trade to raise living standards, not only in the rich world but among the poor too. The story begins with the growth that took place in western Europe, North America, Australasia and Japan once the two great scourges of economic activity--war and trade restrictions--were removed after 1945. The rest of the world--communist, socialist, or just plain poor--also grew, but more slowly: at 2.2% a year on average, or a threefold rise in income per head. Thus the gap between "the West and the rest", as Angus Maddison, an economic historian, described it in an OECD report in 2002 from which these figures are taken, has been widening. Though it does little to promote democracy, China is proving a spur to economic liberalization in other developing countries: fear that its growth will steal their markets or investment is prompting others to copy its reforms and to adopt international trade rules by joining the World Trade Organization.

The article argues that China should focus on helping people, not building more infrastructure, if it wants to help its backward interior regions. Topics discussed include suggestions for China to invest in hospitals, schools and job trainings, allow workers to move freely by abolishing the "hukou" system that restricts migrants' access to public services outside their home towns and outlook for China.

The article focuses on the cruel, discriminating and counterproductive attitude of Chinese schools, especially in rural areas. Topics discussed are need for better education to transform the young into skilled citizens who can help growth, issue of rural poor students to travel long distance due to lack of schools and health facilities, need for Chinese government to provide public education, health and other services for an equal and fair growth.

The article offers information on the skepticism of some individuals to charitable giving in China. The topics discussed include the use of large pandas in enticing individuals to donate some unwanted items to the needy, the awkwardness felt by some middle-class people in charitable giving, and the estimated gross domestic product (GDP) per Chinese individual.

The article presents an editorial on the global fight against AIDS. The world is not winning the war against AIDS. By the end of this year, three million poor people infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, are supposed to be receiving the treatment they need. So far, though, barely one million are. At present, about forty million people are living with HIV, some five million are infected with it each year and over three million die from it. The human and economic cost is huge. India may well have more infected people than any other country. China's epidemic has the potential to dwarf all others. The lesson for rich and poor alike is that to contain AIDS morality must take second place.

The article questions why poor democracies are not better at ending poverty. India, unlike China, is a vibrant democracy with a proudly robust habit of turfing lousy governments out of office. Yet, in poverty reduction, at least, China's unelected leaders have done better. A book by Bimal Jalan, a leading Indian economist and former governor of the central bank, lists some of the woes afflicting Indian politics, such as the rise of small parties, the dwindling of inner-party democracy and the shrinking role of Parliament in ensuring accountability. In poverty-reduction, as in growth, India is typical of other developing-country democracies, having achieved steady but not spectacular success. The relationship between caste and class helps explain the wide regional discrepancies in India.

The article looks at the ancient practice of individually petitioning the government in China. To bring their cases before the relevant ministry, many journey to Beijing, where they may spend several months camping out near the city's southern bus station. In 2004, the government reported a 60% rise in the number of petitioners seeking to circumvent the courts. And yet, according to a survey by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, only two out of every thousand petitioners are successful. In an effort to prune back the petitions system and prevent local officials from retaliating against those who use it, the government is due to introduce reforms on May 1st. While free speech remains suppressed in China, the petitioners offer the government in Beijing a rare opportunity to gauge the mood of the provinces.

This section presents economic news and statistics, as well as statistics on health and life expectancy, for 25 emerging market countries. In China, consumer prices increased by 3.0% in the year to November, up from 1.8% the previous month. China ran a trade surplus of almost $5 billion in November, the second biggest this year. Industrial production in India rose by 5.4% in the year to October. The stock market rose by 2.5% over the week. In Mexico, industrial production fell by 0.8% in the year to October. Consumer prices rose by 4.0% in the 12 months to November. The gap in life expectancies between rich and poor countries is widening, according to the World Health Report 2003. A baby born today in Japan can expect to live for 82 years, with more than 90% of that in good health. In Sierra Leone, however, average life expectancy at birth is a mere 34 years, with more than five of those years spent in ill health. The WHO advocates international assistance to reform health-care systems in poor places.