IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Expedient needs not good basis for reconciliation

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's upcoming visit to Pearl Harbor later this month could be as historic and eye-catching as US President Barack Obama's trip to Hiroshima seven months ago.

Regulating gun use of police

Given the inclusion of some new clauses that expand or restrict the powers of the police, the draft of the Police Law, which has been made public to solicit public opinions, has received extensive attention.

Over-protection of tourist sites by locals does them no favors

THE CHINA NATIONAL TOURISM ADMINISTRATION said it has finished inspecting all the country's tourist sites, and 367 of them received penalties because they failed to meet the necessary standards. It has even removed 107 of them from the official rating system. Beijing News comments:

Coordinated anti-smog efforts show worth

FOR THE FIRST TIME, more than 60 cities in China's northern regions jointly issued emergency responses to the severe smog over the weekend, according to the Ministry of Environmental Protection. Beijing Youth Daily commented on Tuesday:

High towing fees reflect need to end monopolies

LAST WEEK, the Hengyang highway rescue station in Hunan province, Central China, charged a driver 40,000 yuan ($5,970) for towing his truck from where it broke down on the Xiangtan-Leiyang Expressway to the nearest automobile repair station. Beijing Youth Daily commented on Tuesday.

Changing times demand bigger role in WTO

Editor's note: A number of experts spoke at a recent forum organized by the Center for China and Globalization and the Center for Strategic and International Studies to mark the 15th anniversary of China's entry into the World Trade Organization. Following are the views of some of those experts:

Exchanging experiences to fight air pollution

This week, Chinese and international pollution management professionals are gathering in Beijing for a series of events as part of a Pollution Management and Environmental Health Business Week hosted by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau with the support of the World Bank to share their experiences in air quality management.

History should serve as mirror for Trump in China-US ties

No American president or president-elect has spoken to a Taiwan leader since 1979. So the surprising telephone call between Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen and US President-elect Donald Trump on Friday provides further proof that the incoming US leader is determined to defy convention both domestically and in his foreign relations.

Some lessons in diplomacy would benefit Trump

Donald Trump is annoyed at the backlash against his phone conversation with Tsai Ing-wen, the leader of Taiwan, who is desperate for support from the United States in her cross-Straits standoff with the Chinese mainland.

A quixotic TPP quest

After US President-elect Donald Trump said last month he would withdraw his country from the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement on his first day in office, Singapore and Japan, both members of the trade group, are joining hands to try and keep the deal alive.

Gender bias in spotlight after soft sentence for baby girl's murder

ZHANG AIFEN, a woman from Nantong in East China's Jiangsu province, wanted to have a grandson so she kept encouraging her daughter-in-law to give birth to a child. However, when her daughter-in-law had a female baby last November, she was so angry that four days after her granddaughter was born, she killed the baby by stamping on her head. The woman was recently found guilty of murder by the local court, and received a penalty of 10 years in prison, a light punishment in the eyes of many netizens. Beijing News comments: