Students' foreign travel should be for study

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.

Balancing growth and transition

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.

Measures to keep growth stable

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

Needless fuss over HK reform

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.

HK tensions continue to simmer

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.

Letters

How to improve parenting skills

Five offbeat rules bring success to Germany

It is an age-old question: Does the soccer field offer broader lessons for life, and can big tournaments lead to changing the perception of nations? The just concluded 2014 World Cup in Brazil provides an interesting example.

Manila's double standards

The maritime agreement between the Philippines and Indonesia shows the Aquino administration is not willing to talk with China

Cartoon

End money and privilege bonuses in exams

The country's "bonus points" system for the national college entrance exam, or gaokao, is once again under scrutiny after an unusually large number of students in Henan and Liaoning provinces received bonus marks in this year's exams for their "excellent sports performance".

Plug loopholes in college exam

WHERE THERE IS A LOOPHOLE IN A SYSTEM, there will always be some who take advantage of it to cut corners.

Cut interest chain behind exam scams

While moral decline leads to open cheating when it comes to bonus marks in the gaokao, or national college entrance exams, lack of legal punishment deepens the problem by freeing those involved from fear of paying a price. Related officials, schools, teachers, students and their families have already formed an interest chain and that's worse than the scandal itself.