Right to ban civil servants from smoking at work

THE GOVERNMENT of Linquan county, East China's Anhui province, has banned civil servants from smoking during working hours, which has prompted much debate, Legal Daily comments:

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A tribute to Xi's people-oriented thinking

Xiongan New Area a torchbearer of reform

On April 1, China announced it will establish Xiongan New Area in North China's Hebei province, about 100 kilometers southwest of downtown Beijing, covering the counties of Xiongxian, Rongcheng and Anxin. A fundamental mission of the new area, which is expected to emulate and improve on the success of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone and the Shanghai Pudong New Area, will be absorbing part of the non-capital functions of Beijing.

Dalai Lama's trip a betrayal of the country

The Dalai Lama's recent visit to "Arunachal Pradesh", as it is called by its illegal Indian occupiers, has once again put the Southern Tibet region of China in the spotlight. The region was separated from China by the so-called McMahon Line in the early 1900s, which was a line the then foreign secretary of the British-run government of India, Henry McMahon, proposed as part of the Simla Accord, a treaty that was never validated.

Turning challenges into opportunities for good ties

In his meeting with his Myanmar counterpart on Monday, President Xi Jinping said China is willing to join hands with Myanmar to grasp the right direction of bilateral ties and lift their comprehensive strategic partnership to a higher level.

Budget openness not enough

On Friday, more than 100 central departments made public their 2017 annual budgets, with the Ministry of Education among those doing so first.

Corruption not sole cause of the chaos in the insurance market

ON SUNDAY, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China, the ruling Party's top anti-graft watchdog, announced that Xiang Junbo, chairman of the China Insurance Regulatory Commission, is under investigation for suspected serious violations of discipline. Xiang's case shows the disciplinary watchdog will not only continue fighting corruption, but also further regulate the insurance industry, says Beijing Youth Daily:

Recycling cooking oil still prevalent

FOUR DEFENDANTS were prosecuted on Friday in Wenzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, because of their involvement in the production and use of illegal cooking oil that was used by a local hotpot restaurant. Southern Metropolis Daily commented on Sunday:

Loopholes in the trademark law must be closed

ALIBABA, China's largest e-commerce enterprise, revealed that by the end of March, the holders of 83 trademarks had complained against more than 15,000 retailers on its platforms for selling more than 110,000 goods that used terms in their advertising slogans or their products' names for which they hold trademarks. The retailers paid about 1 million yuan ($145,000) in "trademark use fees". The legislature, judicial and administrative authorities must work together to address the issue of malicious trademark registration as soon as possible. Beijing News comments:

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Xi's book can boost ties with Cambodia

I am very pleased to meet all you friends in beautiful Phnom Penh. All our Cambodian media colleagues present here have for a long time kept a close watch on and covered China and thus made important contributions to the enhancement of China-Cambodia friendship. On behalf of the State Council Information Office of the People's Republic of China, I would like to extend to you my lofty tributes and sincere thanks.