What's the buzz

With Spring Festival round the corner, people working or studying away from home must be preparing to return to their families to celebrate the occasion. Besides, they must also be worrying about what gifts to carry for their parents. Some of China Daily's mobile phone newsreaders tell us what they will gift their parents.

Letters

Not a scientific study

Banks' responsibilities

International disputes and conflicts have occurred frequently in recent years as more Chinese corporations actively carry out transnational strategies. For Chinese commercial banks overseas, some of the conflicts have been caused by their lack of understanding of the importance of fulfilling their social responsibilities.

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Mature financial futures market needed

In its fervent bid to realize its dream to be a world-class financial center, Shanghai has established a market for almost everything. But the various elements that are essential to the development of those markets are mostly absent. As a result, the markets are prevented from fulfilling their designed functions.

For world security

Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Song Tao made a significant point when he elaborated on a more active role for emerging economies in international affairs at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday. Song said emerging economies have thrived within the current international system, and ensuring the smooth voyage of the boat is in the interest of all countries as both the emerging and developed countries ride in the same boat.

Rural development

Despite the increase in grain output and the incomes of rural villagers for nine consecutive years, long-term and sustainable agricultural production and improving the quality of villagers' livelihoods is still a hard nut to crack.

China's year of challenges

The decision of the 2013 Central Economic Working Conference is to raise the quality of economic growth and make it more result-oriented by focusing on "six musts".

Cartoon

Time to avoid another scar on humanity

Going by the developments of the past two years in the Middle East and North Africa, it seems someone has opened a Pandora's box in the region. Worse, it appears there is no end to the region's woes as crises in countries like Syria get from bad to worse and threaten to spill over into other places.

Parents feel the pinch of tainted milk

Although I've been coping with the incessant stranglehold of smog on Beijing with considerable calm, recent reports of tainted milk from New Zealand have sent a chill down my spine, because if proved true, it might have also harmed my 4-year-old son.

Time to act on reform

Once again, China has defied the naysayers. Economic growth picked up in the final quarter of 2012 to 7.9 percent - half a percentage point faster than the 7.4 percent increase in GDP in the third quarter. This was a meaningful increase after 10 consecutive quarters of deceleration, and it marks the Chinese economy's second soft landing in slightly less than four years.