By Alan Wheatley Will Beijing finally soften its longstanding resistance to grain imports? That is the question that many analysts are asking as China begins to thaw from its worst winter weather in a century.

By Andy Mukherjee The "tortilla crisis" that shook Mexico in January may not have been a flash in the pan. If Jing Ulrich, the Hong Kong-based chairwoman of China equities at JPMorgan Chase, is correct, everything from beer to steak might just become more expensive globally.