DPRK's economic zone a signal for peace

On Dec 23, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea released its Dec 21 decision to build the "Kangnam Economic Development Zone" in Pyongyang, where foreign investors will be offered preferential land and tax policies. The construction of an economic development zone to attract foreign investment might be Pyongyang's way of signaling it wants to help restore peace on the volatile Korean Peninsula.

US should look at itself before pointing fingers at other countries

I love the Chinese noodles at a place in Midtown Manhattan. But whenever I eat there, I try to eat them as quietly as possible because slurping is regarded as unacceptable in the United States.

Taking third step will herald big boost for bay economy

On Wednesday, the country's top legislative body approved the co-location plan proposed by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government to allow mainland officers to conduct immigration and customs clearance operations in the West Kowloon terminus of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong express rail link.

Japan's defense spending raises more than eyebrows

Japan has been sending contradictory messages about its biggest warship, the Izumo, this week.

Total ban on production cannot hide collusion of city govt with polluters

THE GOVERNMENT OF KUNSHAN, an industrial city in East China's Jiangsu province, has ordered all of the 270 enterprises under its jurisdiction to suspend their operations from Dec 25 to Jan 10 as an inspection is carried out to ensure the quality of the local river water meets national standards. The government has said that the order to suspend production will be prolonged if the annual check finds the water quality fails to meet the required standards. Thepaper.cn commented on Wednesday:

Surveyed unemployment rate long overdue

THE NATIONAL BUREAU OF STATISTICS will release a surveyed unemployment rate next year, Sheng Laiyun, the bureau's chief economist, told Xinhua News Agency recently. Beijing Youth Daily commented on Wednesday:

Hospital's duty of care is to patients, not shareholders

KANGNING HOSPITAL, a mental health facility in Wenzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, has become the first psychiatric facility to be listed on the stock exchange. Beijing News comments:

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Special law to boost anti-graft fight

The reform of the national supervision system is part of China's overall political reform aimed at establishing a unified national anti-corruption body under the leadership of the Party, in order to strengthen inner-Party as well as national supervision.

We need a scientific health insurance policy

A recent online notice by a leading public hospital in Southwest China's Guizhou province has come as a shock to many, as it says the clinical use of some high-cost medical appliances in departments such as ophthalmology, orthopedics, cardiology and general surgery has been suspended to help reduce health insurance costs.

Trump's decisions both puzzling and worrying

On Dec 6, US President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, drawing global criticism and provoking violence in many countries, especially those in the Middle East. But on Dec 21, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a motion by a decisive 128-9 vote, with 35 abstentions, rejecting the United States' decision on Jerusalem.

Innovation can be good area for Sino-US cooperation

Is there any similarity between the speech delivered by President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, on Oct 18, and the National Security Strategy launched by US President Donald Trump on Dec 18?