Better sex education will keep youth safe

Lack of proper sex education, particularly in schools, is having some serious effects on Chinese youngsters. Today, an increasing number of Chinese adolescents are engaging in premarital sex, in many cases without any knowledge of how to protect themselves from the negative consequences. As a result, teenage pregnancy and premarital abortion have become major public health issues.

Spreading Chinese culture in a smarter way

Confucius Institutes can be said to be a global phenomenon as they have spread across the world and established partnerships with prestigious universities. But they have also attracted criticism, with some commentators describing them as an arm of the Chinese government.

Developed countries should honor their climate pledges

The highly-anticipated climate talks in Paris are inching their way towards an "ambitious" agreement on the global carbon budget from 2020 onward. A deal is expected to be clinched on Friday, after two week's bargaining mainly between the world's poorest countries and the richest.

Blueprint for future of brotherhood with Africa

That President Xi Jinping pledged $60 billion in development aid for African countries took many by surprise. After all, it is triple the amount China promised at the last China-Africa cooperation summit, and comes at a time when the Chinese economy is slowing.

Congestion fee a must

In the wake of a spell of hazardous smog, Beijing's traffic authority announced on Thursday the city is likely to trial a congestion charge for road users.

Environment volunteers need to be supported, not harassed

TWO VOLUNTEERS from a nongovernmental organization were reportedly summoned and interrogated by the police in Ningde, Southeast China's Fujian province, following a tip-off that they were involved in prostitution. Since they were conducting a private investigation into local environmental pollution before their detention and they were released the next day, there are suspicions that the Ningde authorities were trying to deter such public supervision. A commentary on ifeng.com lauds such public supervision and urges local governments to keep an open mind to efforts aimed at exposing polluters.

Psychological education needed for students

A TEACHER, in his 40s, in Shaodong county, Central China's Hunan province, was having a meeting with an 18-year-old student and his mother about the boy's poor performance in tests, when the student stabbed him to death. Less than two months ago, three children in the county under the age of 14 were detained on suspicion of causing the death of a primary school teacher and robbing her apartment. Beijing News calls for more efforts to care for the psychological health of teenage students.

Government should not regard citizen's gift as a joke

DURING A LOCAL live television broadcast, Huang Ding'en, a deputy district head in Wenzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, was handed a toy snail by unknown residents, which referred to the slow reconstruction of a major road, which is yet to be finished after more than a year. A commentary on rednet.cn suggests that the local government should not make light of the "gift", as humorous as it is, and fulfill its commitments to the public as expected.

Hot words

Congestion charge

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China's cooperative efforts for a better world

President Xi Jinping has just concluded his whirlwind tour of Paris, Harare, Pretoria and Johannesburg. In Paris, Xi delivered a strong message at the UN climate change conference, presenting China's vision of and contribution to global efforts to combat climate change. He visited Zimbabwe and South Africa to strengthen China's bonds with the two countries. In Johannesburg, he participated in the summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, promising to further deepen Sino-African cooperation. And during his visit to France, he also met with the US President Barack Obama on the sidelines of the climate conference, in order to stabilize bilateral ties.

Financial reform to boost green industry

Green industry should serve as one of the major drivers of China's economic growth. This also conforms to the views of Ma Jun, chief economist of People's Bank of China's research bureau. But this is a daunting task to fulfill because of the huge void in green financing in China.