'Last mile' solution requires regulating

BIKE-SHARING SERVICES operated by platforms such as Mobike have become an effective solution to the "last mile" problem for urban commuters, Minister of Transport Li Xiaopeng said on Monday. Sznews.com commented on Wednesday:

Interest chains enable enterprises to default on repaying bank loans

REPORTS SHOW THAT at least 700 enterprises managed to avoid repaying their bank debts over the past five years, which caused losses of billions of yuan to domestic banks. This year, China Banking Association submitted a number of lawsuits for banks, involving about 15 billion yuan ($2.2 billion). Although the banks won, they have still failed to get their money back, Beijing Youth Daily comments:

QR codes too easily misused by criminals

IN GUANGZHOU in South China's Guangdong province about 90 million yuan ($14.5 million) has reportedly been stolen from people through the fraudulent use of quick response codes which are often scanned for product identification and mobile platform access. Southern Metropolis Daily commented on Wednesday:

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Seeking common ground still key for China-US ties

Given prevailing concerns about potential uncertainties following Donald Trump's precedent-breaking remarks on sensitive topics, State Councilor Yang Jiechi's visit to Washington D.C. was not about breaking new ground, but about preserving and sustaining the precious turnaround enabled by the recent phone conversation between the US president and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Lotte's bitter harvest

Lotte Group, the biggest operator of department stores and duty-free shops in the Republic of Korea, agreed to provide land to the government for the deployment of the United States' Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system on Monday, a move that undermines the security interests of other countries in the region, including China.

Forces fighting fake goods would be more effective working together

ON MONDAY, DOMESTIC E-COMMERCE GIANT ALIBABA announced that in 2016 it had found 4,495 instances of businesses making or selling fake goods. The judiciary investigated 1,184 of them, yet only 33 people have received sentences. Beijing News comments:

Legislation needed to curb violence in schools

ONE STUDENT WAS KILLED AND TWO INJURED in a recent violent clash at a junior middle school in Hengshui in North China's Hebei province. Southern Metropolis Daily commented on Tuesday:

Seaweed video shows how rumors spread

THE MAKERS of seaweed products mentioned in a video clip claiming their products were made of plastic, say they have lost hundreds of millions of yuan since the video went viral. The companies in Quanzhou, Fujian province, East China, have reported the matter to the authorities. Beijing News commented on Tuesday:

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Beijing closer to Tianjin, Hebei in year three

During President Xi Jinping's two-day inspection tour last week, when he visited the construction site of the capital's new airport in southern Beijing and the administrative sub-center Tongzhou district, he urged officials to improve urban planning, in order to build a "harmonious, world-class capital city" that better serves its residents.

Tobacco lobby holding back smoking ban

On Wednesday, Shanghai becomes the latest municipality in China, following Beijing and Shenzhen, to launch a 100 percent smoke-free policy in public places and work spaces. Some 60 million people - more than the population of many countries - living in these cities can now enjoy smoke-free public places.