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Letters and Blogs
(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-09-08 08:00 More empathy for each other Comment on "China, India can change political climate" (Page 9, September 4, China Daily) I share Professor Singh's opinion that China and India should look away from friction and find common ground on development. I would also like to add that as China becomes more influential, there should be more empathy for Indian concerns. The political geography of the Indian Ocean is undergoing a tectonic shift. In Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Bangladesh, Chinese-funded ports are being constructed. The investment from China might incur some distrust of India. China can minimize future hostility stemming from the new order in Asia by clearing the air about potential territorial dispute. The Indian leadership should also be empathetic to Chinese concerns and accept responsibility for unleashing the war in 1962. The narrative of the 1962 War in India blames China for the war. However, Indians seeking the truth should read the authoritative account of Neville Maxwell, Delhi correspondent for The Times at the time. Maxwell pins the casus belli on a "hopelessly ill-prepared Indian Army that provoked China on orders emanating from Delhi." Chen Yi via e-mail The right to know Lei Chuang, a resident of Hangzhou, became the first among 120 million hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriers in China to get a health certificate issued by local health bureau. The certificate means that he has got the right to work in the catering industry. However, a restaurant owner told reporters that, even if he employed Lei, he would never let consumers know the fact Lei is a HBV carrier, out of fear that his business might be shunned. I think it is not appropriate to issue health certificate for food industry to an HBV carrier. Even though the current law does not prohibit doing so, it would be better to mark their health certificates with their status as HBV carriers, because consumers have rights to know the information related to their health, which should not be deprived for the sake of eliminating discrimination on HBV carriers. From a medical perspective, HBV carriers are not sources of infection, but no one could foresee when the carriers might convert to an HB patient. There is still a potential risk in HB infection through close contact. Therefore, the rights of HBV carriers to work should be legally protected and we oppose any discrimination on any special group. While considering the particular feature of the food industry that is closely related to people's health, the authorities should be prudent in permitting more HBV carriers into this industry. At least the public has the right to know whether there are HBV carriers in catering enterprises. Xia Zhi Da Zhe http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_4b43855e0100f500.html (China Daily 09/08/2009 page8) |
