With 2009 now fully upon us, we here at People In the Know feel it's time to put 2008 behind us, and take a look forward to what the year ahead will hold. On the international stage, 2009 is expected to be a pivotal year for the advancement of geo-politics, with a new President to be sworn into office in the United States later this month, along with developments on the denuclearization front expected on the Korean Peninsula and changes moving forward as far as the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan are concerned. And here in China, though the much-anticipated Olympic Games successfully came to pass this past Summer, 2009 is not going to be without excitement, given the anticipation of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China this coming October. So what else can we expect on the political, economic and social stage both here in China and around the world for this year?

Ni hao, you're listening to  People In the Know, your window into the world around you, online at crienglish.com here on China Radio International. In this edition of the show, we look forward to what 2009 may have in store. So let's get started.

(Music)

First we'll try to get a better sense of what we can expect 2009 to look like here in China. For this we're joined on the line by Victor Gao, Director of the China National Association of International Studies.

(Dialogue with Gao)

And after a short break, we'll look forward to 2009 on the international stage.

(Promo)

Ni hao, you're listening to  People In the Know, your window into the world around you, online at crienglish.com here on China Radio International. I'm Paul James in Beijing. In this edition of the program we're looking forward to what 2009 may have in store for us. For more on the international scene we're joined on the line now by Mr. Daniel Franklin, Executive Editor of The Economist.

(Dialogue with Franklin)

And that's all the time we have for this edition of  People In the Know, online at crienglish.com here on China Radio International. As we've heard, there are many things we can expect to happen in 2009 both here in China and internationally as well. But what makes this program interesting to host is that each new day will bring about the unknown. Questions or comments for us can be sent to people@cri.com.cn. For Executive Director Zhao Yang and Producers Chen Mo and Xu Yang, I'm Paul James in Beijing. Enjoy the weekend.