Falcon Heavy launch is remarkable, inspirational

The idea of launching into space a Tesla Roadster, playing David Bowie's Space Oddity, on a billion year elliptic Mars orbit, with the message "made on Earth by humans", may be more about marketing than about marking a milestone moment in our space odyssey.

Legal boundaries must be drawn for online commercial activities

SOME ONLINE LIVESTREAMING HOSTS promote products such as candies, chilli sauce and "medicines" bearing their names to their fans. But these products carry none of the required information about their ingredients, producers and production date that the law stipulates must be printed on the packages of food and medicines. Chinese Business View comments:

Headstrong chengguan cause of trouble

URBAN PATROL officers in Zhengzhou, Central China's Henan province, have faced a storm of public fury after they removed a ladder while workers were still on the roof of a building, and one of the workers died after falling while trying to leave the building using a rope. Legal Daily commented on Wednesday:

Foolish to call for doctors to work themselves to death

FANG PEIHU, a 31-year-old doctor from Lu'an city, East China's Anhui province, died from overwork on Dec 16. Yet, one month later, the local medical authorities called for all medical staff to learn from his example. Beijing News comments:

Hot words

Land-based mid-course anti-missile interception test

Cartoon

Inter-Korean talks alone can't resolve issue

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea have restored communication and organized several joint activities before the Feb 9-25 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, the ROK, easing the tensions on the Korean Peninsula caused by Pyongyang's nuclear and missile tests.

Air pollution lessons from Beijing, Delhi

The air pollution crisis in Delhi took a serious turn in early December when an international cricket match between India and Sri Lanka had to be suspended due to poor air quality. This happened after schools were ordered to close and many flights were cancelled amid a spate of highway accidents caused by the low visibility. Such was the condition in India's National Capital Region, which covers Delhi, and parts of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana provinces, that Delhi's chief minister described the beleaguered city as a "gas chamber".

Policy review suggests US likely to use nuclear weapons

Compared with the United States' new nuclear doctrine that is noncommittal about scenarios when it might use nuclear weapons, China's policy is unambiguous.

Missile defense test in pursuit of equilibrium

The brief statement by the Ministry of National Defense on Tuesday announcing China successfully tested ground-based mid-course anti-missile intercept technology within its territory on Monday marks a major step forward on the People's Liberation Army's path to modernization, as only a few countries have mastered the technology necessary to intercept a missile in flight.

Shared willingness needed to extend Olympics detente

Athletes of both sides of the divide on the Korean Peninsula are to parade together under a single flag and field a joint women's ice hockey team at the Winter Olympics, which begin in Pyeongchang, the Republic of Korea, this week. Most impressive of all, leading Pyongyang's delegation will be the 90-year-old Kim Yong-nam, the nominal head of state of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Information and digital technologies can help revitalize the rural economy

THE CENTRAL AUTHORITIES published this year's No 1 document on Sunday, setting out policies for the revitalization of the countryside. Beijing News commented on Tuesday: