Tax hike on tobacco can cut deaths

THE NATIONAL HEALTH COMMISSION said on Monday it supports the use of tax to reduce tobacco consumption, and it will work with the relevant departments to study the possibility of adjusting the tax on tobacco products. Beijing Youth Daily comments:

Fortune 500 shows more than numbers

For the first time since the debut of the Fortune Global 500 list in 1990, and arguably for the first time since World War II, a country other than the United States has the most companies on the list.

Chinese soccer clubs pursuing false prosperity

Editor's note: Reportedly, Gareth Bale, a Welsh soccer player for Real Madrid, has received irresistible offers from several clubs in the Chinese Super League, and it is anticipated he will give the nod to a three-year contract offered by Jiangsu Suning, a club sponsored by the Suning Holdings Group in Nanjing, Jiangsu province. China Daily writer Li Yang comments:

Legal betting can end illegal lotteries

A RECENT MEDIA INVESTIGATION found that an illegal underground lottery exists in South China's Hainan province, which cheats the players. Beijing News comments:

Washington a frog in the well

Antithetical to a letter published by The Washington Post on July 3 titled "China is not an enemy", an open letter released last week urged the president of the United States to stay the course on countering China.

China's sovereignty over Hong Kong sacrosanct

Both the United Kingdom and the United States have expressed concerns about the protests in Hong Kong. But as usual they have chosen to view them through a prism of their own motives. Hence, they talk of freedom of speech and the right to peaceful assembly, while keeping silent on the escalating violence accompanying them.

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Firms must pay cost of breaking contracts

China has announced it will create an "unreliable entity list" for those foreign companies that violate business contracts with their Chinese counterparts. Beijing's move is apparently in response to the United States putting an increasing number of Chinese companies on its Entity List on the pretext of safeguarding its national security.

Politics behind Japan's commercial whaling

Editor's Note: Japan resumed commercial whaling on July 1, the very next day its membership to the International Whaling Committee expired and six months after its withdrawal from the organization. Why does Japan ignore the international community's opposition to commercial whaling? And what will be the impact of its move on the marine environment? Two experts share their views on the issue with China Daily's Liu Jianna. Excerpts follow:

Rise in CPI won't derail development

National Bureau of Statistics data for the first half of the year show China's GDP grew 6.3 percent in line with expectations, and the consumer price index (CPI) increased 2.2 percent year-on-year, lower than the CPI target set in the Government Work Report, while per capita dispensable income grew 6.5 percent after adjusting for inflation - 0.2 percentage points higher than the GDP growth.

Horton humiliates himself with his antics

AT THE 18TH FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, held in Guangju, the Republic of Korea, Chinese athlete Sun Yang won the gold medal in the men's 400 meters freestyle. But Mack Horton, the Australian athlete who won silver, refused to stand on the podium. China Daily writer Zhang Zhouxiang comments:

STAR startups aim to become industrial giants

Editor's note: Shanghai's Sci-Tech Innovation Board, a Nasdaq-style technology board, soared on Monday on the first day of its launch. China Daily writer Li Yang comments: