Control coal use and reduce smog

More than 10 percent of China's land area has been shrouded in thick smog for the past few days, with the level of PM2.5 (particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less and very harmful to humans) frequently exceeding the danger level in many cities.

London lessons to fight pollution in Chinese cities

One of the top issues on the agenda of the annual sessions of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference is how to improve the air quality in the country. The record levels of pollution in Chinese cities last week and the World Health Organization's concern over the situation are a stark reminder of the high cost China has paid for economic development.

Eco-road to human salvation

No news is good news. Call it a double entendre, a pun or play of words, whatever you will. But the phrase has never rung so true than in these times of media blitz. The world is caught in the web of perpetual crises, with almost every attempt to end one resulting in another and perhaps deeper crisis.

Not going against the grain

Even in a year of excellent harvest, China faces a food shortage. Although crop output has continuously increased in the past decade and the overall grain production in 2013 broke the 600-million-ton mark for the first time, it is no easy task for China to become self-sufficient in food grains.

Cartoon

Abe's quixotic quest for constitutional change

After becoming Japanese prime minister for the second time, Shinzo Abe made it clear that revising Japan's pacifist Constitution is one of his political goals. Currently, Abe's Cabinet is trying to change the interpretation of the Constitution to allow Japanese Self-Defense Forces to exercise the right to collective self-defense.

Challenging mission ahead

Both the national people's congress and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference will feature shorter sessions this year. But that will in no way lighten their load.

Media innuendos unjustified

It is a time of shock and grief for the Chinese people. Dozens of innocent people were killed and more than 100 others were injured in a terrorist attack on the railway station in Kunming.

How real is the tax burden

The debate on the tax burden is growing among Chinese as they become more conscious about being taxpayers. A recent Chinese Academy of Social Sciences report has added vigor to that debate by saying that "the per capita tax burden in China is nearly 10,000 yuan ($1,633)".

The dialectics of China's tax burden

Some experts have claimed that the "per capita tax burden" in China is close to 10,000 yuan ($1,633). Although scholars with the Ministry of Finance have refuted the claim, the issue has sparked a heated public debate.

Letters

Rural kids need good education

From the Chinese Press

Make austerity permanent affair