Rights watch gets it wrong on China

The annual report of Human Rights Watch, an international non-governmental organization, released recently distorts the facts on China by claiming that the protection of disabled people's rights in the country is "inadequate".

Simple but meaningful

For civil servants, this Spring Festival has been different because neither did they get extra pay nor were they showered with gifts from lower-level departments or officials. And luxurious restaurants and clubs did less business than before because austerity measures kept civil servants away from them.

West sees muck even in gold

The attempts of the West to discredit the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games were evident much before the opening ceremony on Friday. The Sochi Olympics is a sports event, but the West has used it as a political tool against Russia, much like it used the Beijing 2008 Summer Games to criticize China, says a Xinhua commentary.

A move to liberate the market

The Third Plenum of the 18th Communist Party of China Central Committee in November made it clear that the key to the country's comprehensive reforms was proper handling of government-market relations and allowing the market to play a decisive role in the distribution of resources.

Free children of sexual exploitation

The suspended death sentence handed down to Zhang Shuxia, former deputy director of obstetrics at Fuping County Maternal and Child Healthcare Hospital in Shaanxi province, for selling seven babies once again highlights the problem of child trafficking.

What's the buzz

Spring Festival is a time for family reunion. People reunite with their families and friends during Spring Festival after a long time, sometimes an entire year. But the festival also sees some weird happenings such as elders setting up blind dates for unmarried young men and women, wage-earners losing a good part of their income in red envelopes (cash gifts) and train delays upsetting passengers' holiday plans. So, what were the Lunar New Year experiences of China Daily's mobile phone news readers? Below are some examples:

Letters

Solid resolve needed to ban smoking

For a healthy virtual world

The development of the Internet as a medium of communication in China has been phenomenal since the mid-1990s.

Sochi boosts China-Russia relationship

President Xi Jinping reached Sochi in Russia on Thursday to attend the opening ceremony of the 22nd Winter Olympic Games. By accepting the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend the event, Xi has not only become the first Chinese head of state to attend a major sports event abroad, but also proved that China-Russia relations have been moving full steam ahead.

Mr Abe, creating confusion can't change history

Lowering tensions between China and Japan over historical issues and maritime territorial disputes is a common wish. But how can this wish be fulfilled when Japanese politicians are trying to create confusion about history?

Cartoon

Governing for the people

Further reforms will maintain modernization momentum and create a fairer society, earning China more respect from others