All study, no play, that's not healthy for kids

THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF ZHEJIANG PROVINCE in East China has sparked a hot debate after soliciting public opinions on a draft regulation that would reduce the workload for pupils and allow them to refuse to do any homework after 9:00 pm. China Daily writer Zhang Zhouxiang comments:

Use, manage, develop internet well for all

Editor's Note: Tuesday marked the 50th anniversary of the birth of the internet. People half a century ago would never have imagined that the world would become interconnected as it is today. Beijing Youth Daily comments:

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Reform can help modernize governance

Upholding and improving the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and promoting the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity is the theme of the four-day Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th Communist Party of China Central Committee in Beijing that concludes on Thursday.

Blockchain technology a boon for trade?

The development of new technology has benefited trade and commerce, and blockchain technology seems set to improve the multinational trade system, especially customs operations. As different countries release their quarterly and annual data at different times, it is difficult to compare them simultaneously. But the application of blockchain technology will turn every country's customs record into a "ledger" connected to those of other countries, and every shipment can be recorded and filed at the same time.

US must match Pence's positive remarks with the right deeds

In his speech on China-US relations at the Woodrow Wilson International Center on Thursday, US Vice-President Mike Pence repeated much of the criticism he had leveled at China in his first such speech at the Hudson Institute on Oct 4 last year. In particular, he criticized China's handling of the "one country, two systems" policy in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

All medical waste requires proper disposal

JJ LIN, a Singaporean singer popular in China, caught a cold after a concert in Zhenjiang, East China's Jiangsu province, and sought help at a local hospital. After he left, a hospital staff member posted photos of Lin's perfusion tubes on the social media platform WeChat, and said he was auctioning them. China Daily writer Zhang Zhouxiang comments:

People smugglers exploit development gaps

Six days after the bodies of 39 migrants were found in a truck container in Essex, Britain, it is still a mystery how they were cheated into taking on such a tragic and fatal journey.

Blockchain-plus will give fresh momentum to economic upgrading

AT THE 18TH COLLECTIVE STUDY SESSION of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee on Thursday, General Secretary Xi Jinping identified blockchain as "a crucial breakthrough point for the indigenous innovation of core technologies". The top leader's forward-looking approach has made blockchain the focus of financial capital, the real economy and public opinion. People's Daily comments:

Gansu's greening sign of global warming

Editor's Note: Halaqi, a lake in the Gobi Desert in the west of Gansu province, dried up nearly 300 years ago, but it has reappeared and has been expanding since a national natural reserve was founded in the region. China Daily writer Li Yang comments:

Import expo shows China is further opening for business with the world

That President Xi Jinping will attend the opening ceremony of the 2nd China International Import Expo in Shanghai on Nov 5, as he did the first last year, indicates the great significance the world's second-largest economy attaches to the events, which are part of its efforts to develop an open trading network.

Closed skies not conducive to peace

Like the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, the 34-signatory "Open Skies" treaty has been a crucial part of a Cold War-era strategic architecture serving global peace long past that superpower standoff.