War can be avoided, but further restraint needed

If ordering the missile strike on Syrian targets, dropping the "mother of all bombs" in Afghanistan, and assembling a war-ready armada off the Korean Peninsula were all meant to convey Donald Trump's message that things are different with him in the White House, what happened Saturday might well be Kim Jong-un's way of saying "message received".

Central environmental inspections matter

The central environmental inspection teams that were dispatched recently have uncovered a range of problems nationwide, such as the fabrication of air quality monitoring data in Shaanxi province, the weak air pollution control in Beijing and disguised transformation of fines for polluters into fees to pollute, and lax control of pollution from ships in Chongqing municipality and some pollutants being directly discharged into the Yangtze River.

Preemptive measures required so that Xiongan does not become a megacity

AFTER THE ANNOUNCEMENT on April 1 of the planned development of Xiongan New Area, a special zone about 100 kilometers south of Beijing which will span Xiongxian, Rongcheng and Anxin counties in North China's Hebei province, concerns were raised that the new area might eventually grow to be a megacity like Shanghai and Shenzhen. Beijing News commented on Saturday:

Lack of supervision behind police misdeeds

A FORMER SENIOR OFFICER of the local police bureau in Luyi county, Central China's Henan province, is to be held criminally accountable along with two of his colleagues on charges of abusing their power and accepting bribes. Some 29 others also face disciplinary penalties. Legal Daily commented on Saturday:

Live streaming of law enforcement has pros and cons

THE TRAFFIC POLICE in Qingdao, East China's Shandong province, recently set a precedent by live streaming the detention of five drivers on suspicion of drunken driving, which attracted more than 70,000 online viewers across the country. Beijing News commented on Saturday:

Cartoon

Infrastructure road to better Sino-US ties

The recent meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump in Florida concluded with both sides saying it put bilateral ties on track. Xinhua News Agency said that during the meeting, Xi urged the two countries to push forward the negotiation on the Bilateral Investment Treaty, promote healthy bilateral trade and investment, explore and develop pragmatic cooperation in infrastructure and energy fields.

Constructive talks work wonders

The first meeting between President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, carries special significance because it will ascertain what sort of China-US relations the new administration in Washington wants, and whether the two sides can be on the same page over where to steer the all-important relationship in the years to come.

'Lobster story' illustrates China-US trade potential

Lobsters caught by fishermen in the morning on Little Cranberry Island in Maine in the United States can be had for dinner by Chinese families the next evening. The lobster and shrimp farming industry in Maine, which despite a history of more than 150 years faced an uncertain future because of overcapacity, has been revitalized by Chinese consumers' strong demand.

Climate is right for avoiding catastrophe

Christiana Figueres, the feisty Costa Rican diplomat who shepherded the historic 2015 Paris climate change agreement, this week launched the Mission 2020 campaign that aims to put greenhouse gas emissions on a downward curve by the end of the decade.

I've gone from technophobe to Mr Gadget

When I returned from a posting in Hong Kong in 1991, my personal effects included 40 - yes, 40 - cardboard cartons of books.

Xiongan calls for brand new approach

It has been just a matter of days since China's central government announced to the world that it will establish the Xiongan New Area about 100 km southwest of Beijing.