Employers squeezed by social security

Easing companies' social security payment obligations would reduce business costs and encourage hiring, according to experts who have studied the issue.

Experts cast doubt on tax cut rationale

China's tax system is a burden on companies and should be reformed, Liang Jianzhang, economist and co-founder of online travel service Ctrip.com argued at a recent symposium held at Tsinghua University.

App use for public fees to cover more cities

Residents in more than 70 percent of Chinese cities will soon be able to use popular smartphone apps to pay their taxes and electricity bills, tech consultancy Gartner predicted in its latest report.

IN BRIEF (Page 4)

Support lacking for car ban plan

A controversial proposal to ban half of Beijing's vehicles from the roads on alternate days during the winter would only be a stopgap measure, experts have warned.

Capital to increase parking fees to relieve clogged roads

Beijing will significantly increase fees for roadside parking in its central areas to ease vehicle congestion, traffic authorities said on Wednesday.

Upgrade of coal sector suggested to drive growth

Northern China's Shanxi province, which produced over a quarter of the nation's coal in 2015, will continue upgrading coal-related industries to boost growth in the new year, said Governor Li Xiaopeng.

Top medical authority says appointment scalpers will be punished

China's top medical authority will investigate and punish the scalping of hospital bookings, a spokesperson announced on Wednesday.

New prostate procedure could bring relief to rural millions

Although it has been more than a decade, Jiang Hansheng can still remember the look on the face of "an expert in Beijing" when he eagerly explained a method he had experimented with for years to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia, or enlarged prostate gland, a condition that occurs frequently among men aged 60 and older.

Endangered flower rediscovered in China

A family of rare parasitic flowers that can match anything found in the movie Avatar recently reappeared in the rainforest of Xishuangbanna in Southwest China's Yunnan province.

Around China

Henan

New rule to allow 6 days without visa

The country's first cross-region visa-free transit policy will take effect on Jan 30 in the Yangtze River Delta region, according to a statement by the Ministry of Public Security on Tuesday.