THAT AN OPERATIONAL REFORM PLAN FOR government vehicles has finally been announced and deadlines set is surely worth celebration. It is an inspiring first step toward plugging the gigantic loophole that has been a notorious source of waste, corruption, and public discontent.
Twenty years after the launch of government vehicle reform we have finally seen a breakthrough. The main resistance has come from interest groups, who are officials at various levels with power in hand - that's why the determination of the top leadership is needed to remove that resistance.
Tensions are growing amid claims and counter-claims of cyber espionage by the United States and China. Even the just concluded Sino-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Beijing couldn't ease the tensions.
The Beijing municipal commission of development and reform is soliciting public opinion on whether fares for public transportation should be raised. For many Beijing residents, the 18-day (from July 3 to 20) exercise signals the end of the city's "low fare public transport system".
High-handed policies to lift ban on collective self-defense and other rightists moves are undermining support for the ruling coalition
Nowadays, in order to realize a meaningful summer vacation, many Chinese parents choose to send their children to attend various kinds of summer camps overseas. On July 14, the Ministry of Education released an official guide to regulate such overseas activities among primary and secondary school students. It is expected that those students can improve their English and international communication skills, and prepare for studying abroad in the future.
THE COUNTRY HAS GOT AS MUCH ECONOMIC growth as it needs. Its annualized GDP growth was 7.4 percent in the first half of the year, falling short of its yearly target by a negligible 0.1 percentage point, amid ample signs that it can still attain that in the second half. So in all likelihood, China will meet its yearly growth target of 7.5 percent.
The old mode of passively stimulating the economy when it is weak no longer applies. What we need is a stable policy that can guide long-term expectations and release economic potential against the pressure of the downturn. Lowering taxes, interest rates or banks' reserve requirement ratio is possible. Xu Nuojin, deputy-director of the Statistics and Analysis Department, People's Bank of China, people.com.cn, July 16
The Hong Kong government issued two crucial reports on universal suffrage in 2017 on Tuesday. Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor submitted one report to the House Committee of the Legislative Council and Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying submitted the other to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, taking the first step in the yearlong reform process.
On July 15, two important political reports on Hong Kong were released. The Task Force on Constitutional Development (TFCD) of the Hong Kong SAR Government disclosed a report on public consultation on the methods for the chief executive election in 2017 and the Legislative Council (LegCo) election in 2016. At the same time, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying submitted a report to the National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC). It asks the NPCSC to consider whether it needs to amend the methods for selecting the chief executive in 2017 in order to attain universal suffrage. It also states that Annex II of the Basic Law should not be amended in regard to the method for forming the Legislative Council in 2016.
|
|
|
|
|
|