No hasty tax reforms

Every year during the annual sessions of the country's top legislature and the political consultative body, proposals pertaining to individual income tax receive widespread attention; this year has been no exception.

Combining reform with growth

The Government Work Report presented by Premier Li Keqiang at the annual session of the National People's Congress on March 5 confirms that the central leadership will start implementing a fairly comprehensive set of reforms this year. The report discusses plans to implement reforms this year to enable the market and private sector to play a larger role in conjunction with a recalibrated role of the government.

Take proper care of elders and betters

Much of the debate on aging society in China has focused on the material challenges faced by senior citizens-the level and fairness of pensions, the cost of healthcare and the financial support that should be provided by their children. Not much has been said about the challenges of emotional and social care faced by a society that within the space of two generations has changed from one in which the elderly enjoyed an honoured status in extended families to one where the number of "empty nests" is growing by the millions every year.

Letters

Terrorism has no place in society

From the Chinese press

Focus on real issues at sessions

Baucus can make a difference

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1979, all US ambassadors to China have had a special political resume. Max Baucus, the new US Ambassador to China, is no exception. At a time when the media in the United States has been taunting President Barack Obama about his offering ambassadorships to his campaign donors, Baucus was confirmed with the whole Congress in favor of his appointment, a demonstration of the level trust the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee has gained as a senior political leader.

Cartoon

Young metropolitans redefine "fashionable"

Results of a recent survey showed that Shanghai has overtaken Hong Kong in the ranking of fashionable cities. This has predictably caused a stir among the fashionable crowds in Hong Kong's hip neighborhoods where young professionals in finance and property gather in the evenings to talk shop over a drink or two.

Anxious wait for news

In this case, no news has not been good news. After more than 30 hours, still nothing is known of the whereabouts of the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 which vanished from radar screens on Saturday an hour after it took off from Kuala Lumpur for Beijing.

No Cold War thinking

There are many ways to create a dismembered Ukraine, an annexed Crimea, and a new Cold War, or Cold-War style standoff. And the current political wrestling over Ukraine, is making these outcomes increasingly likely.

Better joint search needed

The whereabouts of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 and the fate of the 227 passengers, including 154 Chinese, and 12 crew members aboard are still unknown.

Toward doctor-patient rapport

Accelerating the healthcare reform to ease tensions between doctors and patients deserves more attention of the annual sessions of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.