The China-U.S. trade ties have been on a rollercoaster since March 23, 2018, when Washington steered the wheel down a slippery slope. It's been a bumpy ride since, with ups and downs in their bilateral relations. After 13 rounds of high-level negotiations, coupled with other coordination mechanisms, everyone is on the edge of their seats waiting for a glimmer of hope. China and the U.S. need to find ways to work together for their own benefit as well as that of the global economy.

It's difficult to know the precise moment that a radical idea turns into an extreme thought, but we do know that the aftermath of terror results in the loss of precious lives and the reign of debilitating fear. China's westernmost region of Xinjiang has seen a proliferation of these tragedies in the past years, turning local communities into sites of sorrow. Their stories of resilience, however, wait to be told.

Needless to say, Hong Kong has faced a challenging situation in the past year: The social unrest that has dragged on for months has severely hurt its economy, tarnished its reputation, and most importantly broken the hearts of the millions of people who call it home. Finding a way out through joint efforts is not only a promise that officials have made to woo Hong Kong's people, but also a shared New Year's resolution for the city's residents.