Ending AIDS is not an unreachable goal

In the not-so-distant future, it is plausible that AIDS could be something we read about in history books rather than newspaper headlines. Last September, China, along with other member states gathered at the United Nations, adopted the Sustainable Development Goals and committed to ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. On this World AIDS Day, the UN is calling on the international community to start delivering on this promise.

Unlike many other countries, robots a bonus for Japan

I was blown away the other day when on seeing a smart coffee making machine at a robot fair in Tokyo. High-tech robots are replacing humans in almost every sector, from car manufacturing to cooking, and from caretakers for the elderly to receptionists, in the archipelago country.

Eradication of poverty is mission possible

The importance of lifting more than 70 million impoverished people out of poverty can never be overestimated, neither should the difficulties the country faces in achieving that goal in the next five years.

Green subsidies necessary

Beijing's decision to reintroduce subsidies for energy-saving household appliances is a welcome step to enhance its residents' awareness of environmental protection and energy conservation.

Russia-Turkey tensions reflect complicated situation in Syria

IN RESPONSE TO TURKEY'S SHOOTING DOWN a Russian war plane near the Syrian Turkish border earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Saturday imposing economic sanctions against Turkey. These include a ban on charter flights between the two countries and import restrictions on certain Turkish goods. Russian tour operators have also been asked to stop selling trips to Turkey, normally a top holiday destination for Russian tourists. Comments:

No excuse holds water for drug users

BEIJING POLICE have detained 16 students from the Beijing Midi School of Music on suspicion of drug use, after a raid on a dormitory on Tuesday, following a tipoff that marijuana was being used at the school. The school published a letter on Thursday in which it apologized for failing to properly manage students. Beijing Youth Daily urges more efforts to clean up showbiz.

Strict rules needed to curb charges for carrying stretchers

THE DRAFT OF A LOCAL regulation on pre-hospital emergency services in the capital encourages trained non-hospital staff to help put patients on stretchers if a patient is willing to pay for such a service. A Beijing News commentary lauds the capital's efforts to legislate the stretcher-carrying service, but calls for it to be strictly supervised:

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Using innovation to fight climate change

The international community is actively promoting a new governance system to cope with climate change - a challenge to humankind as a whole. China, as one of the most severely climate change-influenced countries, is using scientific and technological innovation as a tool to address the problem, which has given us precious experience to explore a climate-resilient and sustainable development path.

Current climate treaties a lot of hot air

Paris is hosting the 21st global climate conference, and there are high hopes that negotiators will agree on a carbon-cutting treaty. But adding up the climate effects and costs of carbon-cutting commitments shows that there is something very wrong with this approach.

Fatherhood the key to two-child families

The recent announcement that China will relax its one-child policy immediately raised the question: will parents actually have a second child?