HK party an insult to rule of law and commonsense

A separatist organization calling itself the Hong Kong National Party was "officially" founded the other day at a press conference in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, even though its pursuit of legal status failed when the Hong Kong Companies Registry, where all political parties in the SAR have to be registered, rejected its application according to the law.

Japan aggravates uncertainties

Japan's postwar military and security policies entered a new era as its controversial new national security laws, which lift the constitutional constraints on collective self-defense, formally took effect on Tuesday.

Opening-up the market for funeral services can eliminate corruption

AS TOMB SWEEPING FESTIVAL APPROACHES, corruption in State-run companies providing funeral services has become a hot issue. In Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei province, about 20 officials were arrested recently for corruption related to funeral services. Beijing News comments:

Gimmick ruins public's questioning of officials

DURING A RECENT LIVE BROADCAST ON LOCAL TELEVISION, the heads of Nanning, capital of South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, were given flyswatters by people in the audience as a call for greater anti-corruption efforts. (Low-ranking corrupt officials are often referred to as flies.) Daily Sunshine, a newspaper based in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong province, commented on Wednesday:

Online tuition craze shows need for fairer education

ONLINE TEACHERS reportedly earn more than some Internet celebrities. Previously, such teachers were criticized for their paid tutoring outside the classroom. Now they are praised for it, as online lessons given by a famous teacher can help promote education equality, especially for students in rural areas. China Youth Daily commented on Thursday:

Hot words

Fight corruption at the source

Cartoon

China promotes global nuclear governance

President Xi Jinping will be in Washington on Thursday and Friday to attend the fourth Nuclear Security Summit, in which China plays an important role to improve global nuclear governance. The most important aspect of nuclear security is safeguarding nuclear weapons, especially at a time when the spread of terrorism in the Middle East and the terrorist attacks in Europe pose a threat to nuclear non-proliferation.

'Asymmetric harmony' for US-China ties

President Xi Jinping is again meeting with US President Barack Obama and pundits are eager to offer prescriptions and proscriptions to improve China-US relations. Although good-willed, much of the advice is repetitive, even soporiferous. Maybe that's a good thing - because predictability, in sensitive diplomacy as in financial markets, is a good thing. But maybe there's better advice.

Fall of newspapers and the gulf in digital age

A film about a struggling newspaper won the Academy Award for best movie of the year, but even Hollywood's highest accolade cannot do much to save a business in decline. Indeed, Spotlight, which put the spotlight on a struggling newspaper's investigation division and is based on the true story of financially challenged The Boston Globe, may turn out to be more of a valedictory commemoration - a nostalgic, poignant farewell - than the impetus for an industry turnaround.

Premature tax hike could hurt Chinese consumer spending

You may call it a move for fairer taxation.

Japan's moves threaten regional peace and stability

On Monday, a radar station on Japan's Yonaguni Island manned by about 160 Self-Defense Forces personnel came into service, about 150 kilometers from the Diaoyu Islands.