Party building essential

In his remarks at the opening of a workshop attended by newly elected members and alternate members of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, as well as provincial - and ministerial-level officials on Friday, General Secretary Xi Jinping urged the whole Party to consistently rectify its work style and strictly follow the rules to uphold and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Foreign countries have to adapt to China's ban on solid waste imports

CHINA HAS BANNED the imports of 24 kinds of solid waste. Although the Chinese government disclosed the decision about half a year in advance, some garbage collection and recycling enterprises in developed countries have not prepared for the ban. Beijing Youth Daily commented on Sunday:

Winter Olympics a peninsula turning point?

THAT THE DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA may send a delegation to take part in the Winter Olympics in the Republic of Korea next month, and the two sides are preparing for talks on Tuesday represents a widely hoped for thawing of the deadlock on the peninsula. Beijing News commented on Sunday:

Hip-hop singer wrong to pander to vulgar tastes

WANG HAO, a hip-hop singer known as PG One by his fans, has provoked public outrage because some of his lyrics encourage people to take drugs and are degrading of women. Thepaper.cn commented on Sunday:

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Party leadership helps market play due role

Xi Jinping Thought on Socialist Economy with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is a new development philosophy as socialism with Chinese characteristics steps into a new era. It is a strong guidance to ensure China's healthy economic development, and highlights the role of the Communist Party of China's strong leadership and the market's decisive role in resource distribution in the country's high-quality development in the new era.

We need special law to protect users' data

Editor's Note: A public debate is still raging on whether Tencent and Alibaba, developers of popular mobile apps WeChat and Alipay, respectively, have the right to infringe on users' privacy, even after Tencent denied it stores users' chat records, and Alibaba apologized for deceiving users into authorizing it to store their data. Do we need legislation to prevent illegal access to and misuse of people's private information? Three experts share their views on the issue with China Daily's Zhang Zhouxiang. Excerpts follow:

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.