BRICS moving toward a brighter future

Editor's note: With "A Stronger Partnership for a Brighter Future" as its theme, the ongoing 9th BRICS Summit in Xiamen, East China's Fujian province, holds a lot of promise for not only consolidating the economic integration of its five member states, but also better global governance. Three experts share their views on the issue with China Daily's Cui Shoufeng. Excerpts follow:

Staying single not good for demographics

The challenges and potential business opportunities China's nearly 200 million "single population" has given rise to have been making headlines for some time now. Single population refers to the group of people who are not married despite reaching the legal marriageable age, and those that are divorced or widowed.

US using Section 301 probe as a weapon

On Aug 18, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer formally initiated an investigation to determine whether the actions, policies and practices of the Chinese government in the fields of technology transfer, intellectual property and innovation are discriminatory and burden or restrict US trade. Based on the findings of the investigation under Section 301 of the US Trade Act of 1974, US President Donald Trump will eventually decide whether or not to impose extra tariffs or other trade restrictions on China.

EU-US trade relations experiencing a bumpy ride

In his third state of union address to the European Parliament on Sept 13, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker should refer to a check list of his team's 10 priorities when he took office in late 2014, and assess to what extent it has fulfilled them in three years - or more than halfway into his term.

Xiamen set to usher in next 'golden decade' for BRICS

BRICS should promote trade liberalization and an open world economy, and its member states - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - must explore ways to innovate economically. This, in gist, was the message of President Xi Jinping at the opening of the Business Forum of the three-day 9th BRICS Summit in Xiamen, East China's Fujian province, on Sunday.

What next after nuclear test?

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea tested its sixth, and most powerful, thermonuclear device on Sunday despite all the warnings, sanctions and vows of "extreme pressures" to the contrary. Whether or not it was a hydrogen bomb with the destructive potential Pyongyang claims, the latest nuclear test indicates it has taken a big step in its pursuit of nuclear prowess.

Better plans are needed to lift people out of poverty for ever

AT A RECENT MEETING of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, several members said poverty alleviation efforts must be made in such a way that the poor become capable of helping themselves instead of relying on financial aid. Beijing News comments:

Individual income tax threshold must be raised first to propel overall reform

THE STANDING COMMITTEE of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, recently reviewed this year's budget enforcement report by the State Council, the country's Cabinet, which says individual income tax grew 18.5 percent from January to July compared with 10 percent growth in people's incomes. Beijing News comments:

Beware of genetic technology claims

"SEND US 2 ML SALIVA of your child and we will analyze his/her potential via DNA tests." That's a common sentence in the advertisements of many genetic testing companies, which have been doing brisk business of late. But people should be wary of such ads, says Workers' Daily:

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Brazil unit helps CTG go greener

China Three Gorges Corporation, the world's largest hydropower producer, is stepping up efforts to make its Brazilian subsidiary a top-tier clean energy generator.

KFC gives fast food digital face

Yum China Holdings Inc, operator of 5,300 KFC restaurants across China, introduced its first facial-recognition ordering kiosks in a concept store named KPRO in Hangzhou featuring low-calorie menus.