Middle East a market to be tapped on the Road

Last year, China invested $29.5 billion in the Middle East, which accounted for 31.9 percent of the region's total foreign investment, according to a report issued by the Kuwait-based Arab Investment and Export Finance Company. That makes China the biggest investor in the Middle East, followed by the United States and the United Arab Emirates, the report said.

US and DPRK still insist on playing the power game

As relations between the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea further deteriorate, some East Asian countries are busy strengthening their militaries. At the United Nations forum on disarmament in Geneva on Tuesday, the US and the DPRK accused each other of posing a nuclear threat. US envoy Robert Wood elaborated on President Donald Trump's top priority: protect the US and its allies against the "growing threat" from the DPRK, for which Washington will use "the full range of capabilities at our disposal".

Big assets to help handle financial risks

Large amount of government assets make China capable of coping with potential financial risks, said a research report by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the country's top think tank, on Thursday.

Vanke eyes new areas for future growth

China Vanke Co, a leading residential property developer, will switch gears and diversify into new areas to overcome flat growth that appears to have hit a ceiling after years of strong sales.

Stocks surge on strong H1 results

Chinese stocks surged to the highest level in nearly 20 months on Friday, led by gains in shares of financial and resources companies as strong corporate earnings boosted investor confidence.

Outlook bright for China's oil giants

Analysts believe the outstanding performance of China's three major oil companies is expected to continue in the next six months, as oil prices surge and oil companies worldwide gradually recover from the sector's two-year crash.

IN BRIEF (Page 7)

Hopes of peninsula thaw need kindling with actions

For two centuries, that famous line by the English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley has offered numerous people in despair the hope that the dark hours will pass.

Documentary grabs attention

The six episodes of the Rule of law in China, a prime time documentary TV series broadcast by China's Central Television, covering the legislature, governance, jurisdiction and law-abiding citizens, showcased the achievements that have been made since 2012 in establishing the rule of law in the country.

Authorities must balance privacy and public health protection

FIFTEEN STUDENTS FROM A CHARITY SCHOOL in Linfen, North China's Shanxi province, will enter college this fall. The students all have HIV but that will not be revealed to the other students at the college. Beijing Youth Daily comments:

Lights of fireflies being extinguished

A LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION GROUP has called on people to boycott a firefly theme park in Beijing's Fangshan district, as it says most of the supposedly "free-range" fireflies in the park were caught in the wild. Beijing News commented on Thursday:

Drummer's drink choice exposes generation gaps

ZHAO MINGYI, the drummer in the rock 'n' roll band Black Panther, was photographed drinking tea, and many marveled that "our rock star since childhood is entering his middle age". The WeChat media World Insight comments: