Macron's visit to lead ties into new phase

French President Emmanuel Macron's first visit to China is expected to boost commercial ties and deepen economic cooperation between the two sides. During his state visit from Monday to Wednesday, Macron will also seek to expand and strike a balance in bilateral trade.

China-Japan ties can improve through more communication

Relations between China and Japan are expected to further improve after the thaw in 2017. And Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono's possible visit to China in late January, according to Japanese media reports, could herald more such endeavors, boosting bilateral relations.

Cross-border trade boost for renminbi

China will allow foreign investors to freely remit their yuan-denominated profits and dividends and pledged to remove all barriers in cross-border trade and investment, the central bank said on Friday.

Financing channels will be expanded

The government will expand financing channels and introduce several pilot programs to boost the economy of its northeastern region to dispel fears of diminishing returns and a worsening business environment in the region, according to an official from the country's top economic regulator.

Heilongjiang case not a blot on all local govts, says NDRC official

The interference in the market activities of a private company in Heilongjiang province is an "isolated case," and should not be used to negate the progress being made on a friendlier business environment, said an official with China's top economic regulator.

IN BRIEF (Page 6)

Price wars intensify in ride-sharing sector

Chinese group-buying and dining information platform Meituan-Dianping has launched its ride-hailing services in seven cities along with a series of tempting policies, making no secret of its strong desire to challenge Didi Chuxing and others in the country's burgeoning ride-hailing market.

QQ users log into real world for adventure

Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings Ltd, the largest global gaming provider by revenue and the operator of QQ, an instant messaging software service, has initiated a series of scientific exploration events aimed at encourage young people to explore the outside world, instead of being constantly absorbed online.

Multimodal freight train heading for Moscow

China COSCO Shipping Corp Ltd's first China-Russia multimodal transportation service kicked off on Friday from Tianjin, headed for Moscow with 46 containers measuring 40 feet (1,220 cm) long.

Modi should not create another setback for ties

After China and India defused the two-month long border standoff between their troops last year, both Beijing and New Dehli expressed their aspirations for smoother and more stable ties.

UK's focus ought to be EU

According to British media reports, the United Kingdom has held informal discussions with some of the members of the planned Trans-Pacific Partnership to explore the possibility of joining the group to boost its exports after it leaves the European Union.

Law needs to prevent tech giants from taking liberties with users

ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT, the leading domestic mobile payment service provider, Alipay released to users their annual billing records, yet a sentence in smaller font, which authorizes it to analyze users' data for other use, was found in its electronic agreement with the default choice being "I agree". China E-Commerce Research Center, a Hangzhou-based independent think tank, comments: