Beijing can lighten its own burden by helping neighbors develop industries

AT A RECENT CONFERENCE, President Xi Jinping emphasized the need to free Beijing from some functions that have little to do with its being the capital, and the need to coordinate the development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province as a greater region. Comments:

Anti-corruption storm must cleanse SOEs

THE CENTRAL COMMISSION for Discipline Inspection has released its report on investigations of eight State-owned enterprises directly controlled by the central authorities. The report reveals a rampant trade in power for money as well as the transfer of enormous interests to certain bureaucrats. Comments:

EU relations make Greek bet a risky one

GREEK FOREIGN Minister Nikos Kotzias took his government's claim for World War II reparations directly to Germany on Tuesday, receiving a clear rebuke from Berlin. The country's Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras had already called for such reparations earlier. Comments:

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US should adapt to changed geopolitics in Asia

President Xi Jinping on Wednesday held phone talks with his US counterpart Barack Obama and accepted the latter's invitation to pay a state visit to the United States in September. Last week US National Security Adviser Susan Rice announced that the US invited President Xi Jinping to visit the United States this year. She also said that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, South Korean President Park Geun-hye, and Indonesian President Joko Widodo, too, would visit the US this year.

Saying 'no' to gifts will build clean government

With the Spring Festival approaching, the central authorities have again warned officials to desist from corruption. The discipline inspectors have warned officials against taking gifts or money during the holiday, or face immediate removal from office and investigation according to the Party's discipline and the country's laws.

Explore untapped potential in EU-China ties

This year we celebrate the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the European Union and China, established on May 6,1975. It is an important milestone in an ever more important relationship between our union of 28 European states and China.

Is the ban on tainted stars justified?

With the Spring Festival round the corner, Ha Wen, director of the Spring Festival gala telecast by China Central Television, has said celebrities who have violated the law or moral and social values have been banned from taking part in the annual show. Earlier, the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television had said that celebrities who have broken the law should not be invited to appear in TV programs. Besides, the Beijing Trade Association for Performances has signed an agreement with 42 agencies not to hire or invite celebrities who have been booked for drug abuse to perform in any program.

High fine for Qualcomm promotes fair competition

The 6.088-billion yuan ($975 million) fine imposed by the National Development and Reform Commission on chipmaker Qualcomm Technologies Inc for violating the anti-monopoly law is the highest on any company on the Chinese mainland. But it is equal to only 8 percent of what the US-based company earned from sales on the mainland in 2013 and less than the 10 percent of its sales revenue that it could have been asked to pay.

Sustainable global growth

The international community should join hands to explore new specific, practical and sustainable development on the basis of the Millennium Development Goals, says an article in People's Daily.

Warm winter and late arrival of Spring Festival lead to low CPI

THE NATIONAL BUREAU OF STATISTICS' latest report shows that the consumer price index, a main gauge of inflation, for January 2015 rose by just 0.8 percent, the lowest in five years. The index for food products increased 1.1 percent and that for non-food products, 0.6 percent. Comments: