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UK's report on human rights a farce

The British government has indulged itself in political farce again by making biased and irresponsible remarks to blemish China's human rights record.

Battle to clean up soil

CONTAMINATED SOIL IS SAID TO BE EVEN harder to restore to health than polluted water. And it is a horrible fact that the majority of people have long been kept in the dark about the degree to which China's soil has been polluted.

Water case should be heard

Five Lanzhou citizens are trying to sue the Veolia Water Corporation for failing to guarantee water quality and providing unhealthy tap water to residents in Lanzhou due to the benzene contamination. However, on Monday, Lanzhou Intermediate People's Court said it will not file the case, because the five citizens are not "authoritative units and related organizations", which means they are not qualified to file such litigation according to Article 55 of the Civil Procedure Law.

Humane lessons from Korean tragedy

A close neighbor is better than a kinsman afar. Unfortunately, this Chinese adage, which people have believed in for centuries, was forgotten by some irrational Chinese netizens after a South Korean ferry met with an accident on Wednesday. The multi-story ferry carrying 477 people, a majority of them high school students, on an overnight trip to Jejudo Island, sank off South Korea's southern coast, leaving about 290 people missing - possibly trapped inside the vessel.

Internet a shot in the arm for financing

The rise of Internet financing has eaten into the savings of traditional banking giants. According to official data released on April 15, the savings of four State-owned banks dropped by 1.9 trillion yuan ($305.41 billion) in the first two weeks of April.

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National security 国家安全（guo jia an quan）

From the Chinese press

Strike at the root of corruption

Looking at the bigger picture

In a keynote speech delivered at the opening ceremony of the Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2014 on April 10, Premier Li Keqiang said China will not adopt short-term stimulus policies to address what are temporary economic fluctuations; instead it will focus on the sustainable and healthy development of the economy in the middle and long run.

Restructuring's progress

CHINA'S 7.4-PERCENT ECONOMIC GROWTH IN the first quarter is reassuring not only because it beat market expectations by a shade. More importantly, it signalled desirable progress in the transformation of the world's second-largest economy away from unbalanced and unsustainable growth.

Balance locality interests

Recently some local authorities have had to suspend or abort plans for industrial projects in the face of fierce opposition from local residents.

The Chinese Dream in Western eyes

In China, the Chinese Dream stirs hopes and sets expectations; internationally, it provokes questions and elicits concerns. Here I look outside China - exploring attitudes, suggesting responses and warning of the dangers of self-fulfilling prophecies.