London policy chief urges B&R action

The City of London Corp's new policy chief, Catherine McGuinness, said she wants the capital's financial services companies to engage more with the Belt and Road Initiative, so the business district can maintain its financial strength amid Brexit uncertainties.

Courier firms rush to seize opportunities

Courier service companies on the Chinese mainland said they are speeding up their global expansion in order to seize opportunities arising from the Belt and Road Initiative.

China's trade gets big boost from Initiative

Economies involved in the Belt and Road Initiative have taken on an increasingly important role in China's import and export sectors in the past two decades, a recent report showed.

Draft pact shows progress possible without interference

Senior officials from China and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations announced on Thursday in Guiyang, Southwest China's Guizhou province, that the two sides have completed the first draft of a framework for a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea.

'Challenge' plumbs new depths

In response to the spread of the "Blue Whale Challenge", a sinister social media "game" that encourages youngsters to undertake dangerous dares and inflict self-harm, even end their lives, the Chinese internet regulator recently launched a precautionary check and scrutiny campaign along with internet companies.

Lack of professional sports setup root cause of stars' pay disputes

LIN DAN, the Chinese badminton superstar and two-time Olympic champion, has accused his Super League club, which ranked seventh in the eight-team league in the 2016-17 season, of failing to pay him and six other teammates. Beijing News commented on Thursday:

Exam focus creates testing times for parents

LAST WEEK, the municipal education bureau of Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, announced that several branches of the national extracurricular training agency Xueersi were involved in improper activities in the city, and required them to temporarily close and correct the wrongdoings. Southern Metropolis Daily comments:

Good example set for protecting rights of senior citizens

DRAFT RULES on protecting the rights and interests of senior citizens in Yunnan province state they have the right to remarry, and, for the first time, should they do so their children should not interfere in their family life. An article on scwmw.gov.cn comments:

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Moon promises change in ROK diplomacy

Newly elected Republic of Korea President Moon Jae-in faces tough choices on regional security, and political and economic reform. In a phone conversation with Moon one day after his victory, President Xi Jinping emphasized the need for both countries to respect each other's major concerns and interests, as well as maintain a healthy, stable bilateral relationship.

A landmark individual income tax reform

The pilot tax policy for deductable commercial health insurance products will be extended to the entire country on July 1. This pilot program for individual income tax was first implemented in 31 cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin and Chongqing in 2016. According to the pilot, the amount paid to purchase health insurance products will be deducted from a person's taxable income before levying individual income tax (IIT) if it does not exceed 2,400 yuan ($347.76) a year.

Tsai must rectify policy for Taiwan to prosper

In the nearly one year that she has been Taiwan leader, Tsai Ing-wen has invited public rage against her reforms. Instead of taking measures to facilitate the economic recovery of the island, which she had promised to do while campaigning for the election last year, the leader of the Democratic Progressive Party has continuously attacked the opposition Kuomintang in the name of political reform.