"The shift will help promote China's sustainable growth. It is time for change with the domestic economy maintaining its strong momentum and with inflation running at a high level as liquidity from abroad grows."

Xia Bin, Director of the Finance Research Institute of the State Council's Development Research Center, on a decision of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee to shift China's monetary policy stance from relatively loose to prudent next year

"The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) should play an active role in establishing such a mechanism, on the prerequisite of maintaining its independence."

Hu Xiaodi, China's Permanent Representative to the UN and other international organizations in Vienna, saying China remains open to initiatives on the establishment of an international nuclear fuel bank at a board meeting of IAEA on December 3

"It is a warning to advanced economies that they cannot take for granted that they will forever have 'human capital' superior to that in other parts of the world."

Angel Gurria, Secretary General of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development on a report saying the world's richest countries risk losing the edge gained by better education. The report was based on surveys of half a million 15-year-old students in 65 countries

"The euro zone has to provide a comprehensive solution to this problem. The piecemeal approach, one country after another, is not a good one."

Dominique Strauss-Kahn, IMF Managing Director, criticizing Europe's disjointed response to the euro zone debt crisis after Germany and other states resisted his calls for bolder action

"This is a paramount step forward and a step the world is closely watching."

Herman Van Rompuy, European Council President, after the EU agreed to back Russia's bid to join the WTO in a bilateral agreement signed on December 7

"Developed countries should not force developing countries to cut gas emissions. Instead, they should help developing countries in this area."

Jean-Pierre Raffarin, former French Prime Minister, in a dialogue with Chinese youth in Beijing on December 2