Targeting roots of corruption

WITH 16 VICE-MINISTERIAL OR HIGHER LEVEL government officials placed under investigation for abuse of power in the past more than six months and no sign of such momentum subsiding, no one can doubt the top leadership's resolve to tackle corruption.

Corrupt 'flies' must be swatted

In recent feedback to Tianjin municipality, the central inspection group pointed out the problem of "corruption by flies", or lower-level officials, which provoked comments from Chinese media outlets. Being often used together with "tigers", which refers to senior officials involved in corruption, "flies" might not make as much illegal gains but are equally destructive for being many in number and their graft rampant. The ongoing anti-corruption campaign vows to "both hunt tigers and swat flies".

Paving the BRICS' road ahead

The term BRIC (later BRICS) is the creation of an economist, Jim O'Neill, who first used it in his publication, Building Better Global Economic BRICs, while identifying potentially promising markets for business. There is evidence that at least BRICS' original four economies (Brazil, Russia, India and China) had already been considering each other as potential partners before O'Neill clubbed them together in a group. The term, therefore, was coined at a very favorable moment - at a time when the four countries were growing at a fast pace and had begun demanding greater say in global matters.

Unity in bloc's diversity

The BRICS summit held in Durban, South Africa, in March 2013 marked the first five years of the group. During those five years BRICS members expanded their areas of concurrence in terms of national interests and strengthened the status of the group as a meaningful inter-civilizational macrostructure.

Ties with other emerging economies crucial

After five years of introspection and institution building, the sixth BRICS summit offers an opportunity to the group to focus on its relations with the rest of the world. Relations with the G7 are particularly contentious. Russia's exclusion from the G8 following the crisis in Crimea has moved the BRICS to the center stage in Russian foreign policy thinking, and risks pulling the group onto an opposition footing with the West.

Mutual trust tried and tested

The sixth China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue and the fifth China-US High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange concluded in Beijing on Thursday, with both sides saying the outcomes are a "full success".

Accident a call for action to protect kids

The death of eight kindergarten students in an accident in Xiangtan, Hunan province, on Thursday is both shocking and tragic. The minivan carrying the children home from school in the mountainous region skidded off the road and plunged into a pond, killing all 11 occupants including two teachers and the driver.

Chinese cuisine packs a soft power punch

Mention China and most Westerners will think about its food. This is not surprising given the popularity of Chinese cuisine in the West, where some countries have more restaurants serving Chinese dishes than the traditional local fair.

The real reason why Asia hasn't won a World Cup

The World Cup will be lifted by either Argentina or Germany in a day. Between them, the Europeans and South Americans have won all the 19 Cups and the 20th will see one or the other do it again.

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Destabilizing arc of aid

Shinzo Abe is using the country's official development assistance to engineer a quasi-coalition in Southeast Asia

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