Neighbors Stick Together

The election of Yoon Suk-yeol as new president of the Republic of Korea(ROK)has triggered concerns regarding future relations between China and the ROK.These concerns mostly stem from Yoon's tough talk against China.For example,he called for the deployment of additional U.S.-manufactured Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system units in the country.But it is normal for a candidate to solicit votes by making sensational pledges,which may not necessarily be honored after they assume office.No matter which political camp is in power in the ROK,China-ROK ties are expected to strengthen.     

Heaven On Earth

<正>The old Chinese saying"to the people,food is heaven"is a good indication that the people of China are pretty serious about food and eating.Suffice it to say,they love to eat,and when they are not actually eating,they are either talking about eating or planning what to eat next.     

AIDS Battle Taken Closer Home

Henan Province in Central China is taking the fight against HIV/AIDS closer to home with 76 officials posted in villages seriously affected by the deadly virus. The officials—divided into 38 pairs—are from 38 provincial government departments, such as the health and finance bureaux, will be stationed in 38 villages for a year. They start their work on February 18 after receiving AIDS prevention training. There are at least 10 HIV/AIDS sufferers in the designated villages and some of them have up to 400, says Guo Weiqun, deputy director of the general office of Henan Health Bureau.     

Important Guarantee for The Basic Rights of Citizens——China's State compensation system

A common folk can sue an official? This was hardly possible in the past in China where the old feudalistic tradition dies hard. But this is really possible today when the common people cannot only sue officials and also get compensation if they are wronged. State compensation system It would be inevitable for government functionaries to cause damages to some citizens, legal persons or other organizations in the course of their management of the society. That is why China has established a State compensation system to compensate for the damages to citizens, legal persons and other organizations caused by government functionaries in exercising their power.     

Chinese Officials Lighten Up Under Pressure

Chinese officials are displaying a far more human public persona these days than their traditionally severe demeanor, a change welcomed by the people. Formerly stem and rigid, they are now animated and unafraid to express enthusiasm in public. Chinese civil servants no longer blend into a solid gray wall of officialdom, one indistinguishable from the other by virtue of the dry-as-dust officialese they speak. In the interests of promoting their work and achievements, officials are now happy to stand out as individuals.     

Catalyzing a World Dream Two mega-economies discover common ground

China and the United States are still in a position to master their national destiny. The transnational financial markets, the fluctuations of oil, gas or food prices and the constraints of a multi-polar geopolitical order exert an impact on their economies, but do not command their policies. In a globalizing world, they act while the others react. The vital importance of their bilateral relations is obvious.     

WEEKLY WATCH

OPINION Declaring Officials' Property Before this year's full session of the National People's Congress,China's law- making body,a number of retired officials and scholars called for the formulation of a law on property declaration by senior civil servants.The highlight of this proposed law is:Apart from the declaration,officials should make their property known to the public through the media. Currently,the property supervisory system only covers civil servants'personal income within the government system,     

No Terror or Tension

One who has not been to Kashi has not been to Xinjiang, as a saying goes. Once a bus-tling trade hub on the Silk Road, today the city is a typical multiethnic community in the southwest of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.The city is close to China's border with India in the south and central Asia to its west. Marco Polo (1254-1324), one of the first Westerners to travel to China along the Silk Road, once described Kashi as the "Cairo of the East."A terrorist attack erupted on the morning of August 4 this year, when terrorists attacked a group of border policemen jogging in Kashi. Using a dump truck, homemade grenades and knives, they killed 18. Three months have passedsince August when nightmare haunted the city, and life is gradually brought to normal. Cheng Gang, a correspondent with the Beijing-based Global Times made a trip to Kashi in October. Below are excerpts from his account of the journey.     

Protecting Wild Animals Is Protecting Ourselves

Extinction is irreversible. Once a species is gone, it＇s not coming back （,barring some Jurassic Park-like scientific development）. Extinction has wide-ranging ramifications for the ecosystem and biodiversity. Many species are affected by the disappearance of one. Sometimes the effects are foreseeable - most of the time they are not. Ensuring that all spe- cies have the chance to thrive free of human interference is paramount to ecological conservation, and doing so will also benefit humanity. These are the core messages of a recent interview with Zhao Shucong, director of the State Forestry Administration that leads China＇s wildlife protection efforts. Excerpts from the interview are below：     

GREAT EXPECTATIONS Xi's U.S. tour achieves substantial progress despite a myriad of challenges

<正>A full month ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to the United States.Chinese officials who were busy with the preparatory work had already acknowledged that the visit would not be easy.The visit was Xi's first official state visit to Washington since taking office,though his second visit as head of state.It would likely be the last time that U.S.President Barack Obama received a Chinese president in the     

Random Thoughts On Praying for Rain

Drought bites again, and people are craving for rain but it doesn't rain. That brings back my childhood memory of people in my native town—officials plus the local gentry and elderly—going to the Dragon King Temple to pray for rain. Before that, they would fast and perform ablution. Once in the temple, they would offer sacrifices to the "Dragon King," a fierce-looking clay or wooden sculpture, who is said to take charge of distributing rain. Amid smoke that kept rising     

GOOD COUNTRY LIVING

This is not your father's countryside. In rural China, tile-roofed houses are giving way to two-story dwellings and high-rises. An invisible social security net is being cast over more homes and their residents. Commercial loans are becoming more available, although farmers still rely on friends and relatives for many borrowing needs. And with the attention to fashion because of satellite TV, it's starting to look like MTV out there. Ok, maybe it's not Tommy Hilfiger land just yet, but the countryside is getting a serious makeover thanks to both government support and farmers looking for a more urbanesque life. And if you don't believe what the government says, hear it from the farmers themselves. Beijing Review asked officials about new policies to assist local farmers. Reporters traveled to two very different provinces in rural China to ask locals about their financial and social wellbeing. The detail captured is vivid and illustrates that the countryside is no longer willing to play second fiddle to its urban cousins. Farmers are no longer impoverished victims of misfortune, but are moving boldly toward a better tomorrow.     

Is China Ready for Home Schools?

<正>The new semester has begun and students have gradually returned to their schools. However, the end of the summer holiday doesn’t mean a return to school for some children. Today, a growing number of children in China are staying at home, not because they are giving up education but because their parents think they will actually receive a better education at home.     

Lad Mags Lure Chinese Males：Glossy magazines seek to score with Chinese men

IT is almost impossible to find a bottle of men's deodorant in most Chinese cities. Chinese men are not renowned as Metrosexuals.But several publishinghouses are banking on their ability to turn local men into shopping and sex sophisticates. Publishers of men's magazines have identified Asia as the biggest market of the future, banking on the change in lifestyle and habits of local men. Up to 1995, post office sub-     

On the lin

I 've lost count of the number of Rock Music magazine CDs scat- tered around my desk. They all bear the same distinctive moni- ker and a list of names bizarre and legendary. Most are still in the plas- tic wrapping they came in, made brittle by the drying glue that fastened them to the covers of magazines they came with. Every week, usually on a Thurs- day morning, the local newspaper cabin near my Beijing office is visited by a de- liveryman pedaling a heavily loaded tri- cycle cart. His h…     

Pedal Power Passion

BEIJING, 6 am. Meng Qiuyu cycles across the darkened city, still in a dream. The destination of his 20-kilometer journey is the Temple of Heaven in downtown Beijing. The dawn of every Saturday sees Meng and his fellow road cycling club members riding in from every corner of the sprawling metropolis. Occupied with their jobs during the week, they fervently spend the weekends pursuing their hobby. At the Temple of Heaven, they flood into the office of Old Yang, a former member of the national road cycling team. Yang's rooms are piled high with cycling equipment. "The sport has developed very fast," he says with a smile. "It's challeng-     

Views on the ‘Four Comprehensives’

<正>The"Four Comprehensives"may constitute the main pillars for the next phase of the Chinese social and economic transformation.The general direction of these principles is,however,not new.It has been widely recognized that China needs ongoing reforms for more sustainable and socially inclusive growth.Otherwise,imbalances will increase,posing higher risks to the Chinese and world economy.Being principles,they are rather vague and leave much room for interpretation and adjustment.Concrete targets on the social and economic transformation have not been set.The need for reforms is urgent in many areas,and it is a challenging task to keep the balance.Development priorities Future GDP growth should become more sustainable and should not harm the environment.Eco-friendly growth can be supported if the service sector accounts for a higher share of the economy.The service sector is also less productive on average,implying that high employment can be realized even at     

Model Roles

正Comparison and competition between development patterns in an era of globalization The world economy is mired in a real global crisis for the first time in the age of globalization.When people worldwide review the crisis,they should not simply conclude that the answer is finding a way to strengthen financial regulation or to balance the global economy.At a time when     

Are We Getting Any Closer？.

The collective title of the four articles comprising this issue's Special Report is "Safeguarding 'Half of the Sky'." The women reporters that wrote these articles are all from Beijing - one of China's foremost metropolises. The education they received, which stressed that they were born equal to men, was of a standard that affords them the economic independence to decide whether to stay single or play the role of responsible householder.     

The Socialist Rule of Law with Chinese Characteristics and Human Rights Protection

Law is the fundamental method of governance and the rule of law symbolizes modern civilization. The socialist rule of law is the rule of law rooted in the Chinese tradition, and designed and led by the Communist Party of China(CPC). It is not only a tool for government, but also a driver of social progress. Meanwhile, the Chinese human rights system is also designed by the CPC. Both concepts—the socialist rule of law and the human rights system——are different from the West in terms of theory, path and systems. Human rights are the fundamental values of and the ultimate goal pursued by the rule of law; and the rule of law is the recognition of and guarantee for human rights. Efforts must be made to advance legislative, administrative and judicial protection of human rights.