Voice from Beijing

China Daily: Watchful eyes on government 11/03

Of the many promises in Premier Wen Jiabao's government work report, the most impressive is the vow "to create conditions for people to criticize and supervise the government".Public oversight has been an integral part of the authorities' efforts to clean up government. Yet few take it seriously because everybody knows how difficult, if not impossible, it is.

Premier Wen's promise to "create conditions" is inspiring because it instills hope. The National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee's subsequent vow to start addressing inquiries to government ministries is an encouraging step in that direction. To practice supervision, the NPC as the national legislature needs to make up its mind. The general public, however, needs everything other than resolve.

When Premier Wen pledged to "create conditions," what first came to mind was to make those impressive designs work. There is no cure for corruption if public supervision remains an empty vow and if criticizing the government continues to be a costly adventure.

China Daily: Kudos to revision of law 09/03

Bestowing upon rural residents an equal footing in elections represents a substantial boost to their voting rights. It corrects a historical disadvantage, if not a wrong. The fact that the law went through four rounds of revision before but failed no longer matters.

The revision of the Election Law is something to celebrate. We only hope positive changes like this happen sooner and more frequently.

China Daily: sticking to principles 08/03

Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi is justified in refuting the accusation that "China is becoming tough". On the sidelines of the ongoing National People's Congress annual session yesterday, Yang said that China has stuck to its principles, which is totally different from being tough.

Young's remarks should help brush off wild speculation about the role China should play in the international arena.

In the past 60 years China has adhered to an independent foreign policy of peace. China's diplomatic missions have always concentrated on safeguarding national interests while striving for world peace and development.

China has stood firm and has never traded principles for narrow gains when interacting with the rest of the world. This should not be interpreted or even regarded as being tough.

China has always pushed for dialogue and cooperation, resorting to peaceful resolutions for conflicts and crises.