Reform SOEs to revitalize Northeast China

To revitalize the northeast of China, we should first analyze the problems of its undesirable development nowadays.

Regulators right to act to ward off financial speculation

China's monetary regulators have been strict in checking the background of foreign exchange purchases amid intensifying pressure on capital outflows and contracting foreign exchange reserves.

Lead globalization, resist trade wars

China made its point. In his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, President Xi Jinping made a straightforward defense of globalization.

Market needs rule of law

The media recently exposed two bases for the selling of counterfeit goods on the same day. One was a shopping mall in Putian in East China's Fujian province, which was found to be selling counterfeit shoes, cellphones and invoices among other things, the other was in the town of Duliu, in North China's Tianjin, where manufactures were producing counterfeit condiments.

Meal boxes must be fairly and transparently priced on trains

THE 15-YUAN ($2.3) MEAL BOXES, which were required to be available throughout the journey on all high-speed trains, are now provided on a first-come first-served basis, according to reports. Guangzhou Daily commented on Monday:

Fireworks ban fizzles out due to lack of forethought

ON SATURDAY, Central China's Henan province issued a notice extending its fireworks ban to cover all urban and rural regions. Yet two days later, it withdrew the decision and suspended the total ban because of opposition from residents and fireworks sellers. The total ban is a good idea to fight air pollution, but it requires a well thought out and practical plan for its implementation, says people.com.cn:

Hiring a spouse-to-be for festival problematic

WITH THE APPROACH of the Chinese Lunar New Year the business of renting a girlfriend or boyfriend has emerged again. In either written or oral contracts, the price of such a deal can be up to 1,000 yuan ($160) per day. Changsha Evening News commented on Tuesday:

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Trump's trade agenda, a double-edged sword

With US president-elect Donald Trump's inauguration approaching, it worries many that his ambition and stated potential actions to revive US manufacturing and employment may heighten trade frictions with China.

Air pollution masks symptom of throwaway society

A new pollution problem has hit big cities like a brick in the back of the head. Not only is the air a sea of poisonous particles but also city sewerage workers have a new problem in their vocabulary - wetballs. Tens of thousands of masks unthinkingly discarded end up in sewers and stick together as balls of plastic and mucus, soot and snoot.

Manufacturing sector's road to success

China is the most competitive manufacturing power in 2016, according to Deloitte research.

Abe trying to paper over the cracks in US' regional alliance system

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's just-concluded four-nation tour in the Asia-Pacific region is full of political calculation: He is trying to show Japan remains loyal to the US global alliance system and working hard to strengthen it despite its obvious decline in recent years.