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Opinion
Print Edition> Opinion
UPDATED: July 11, 2011 NO. 28 JULY 14, 2011
OPINION
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HIGH-SPEED RAIL: The operation of the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway marks China's pioneering steps in this technology (XINHUA)

University Recruitment

Hong Kong's universities are continuing their attractive scholarship policy to compete with prestigious universities on the mainland for outstanding high-school graduates this summer.

It is reported the three students in Beijing who attained the highest scores in liberal arts in this year's college entrance examination have chosen University of Hong Kong (HKU). Each of them will receive a huge scholarship for each year they study. In addition, this year's top students of arts of Yunnan Province and Anhui Province also chose HKU. It is believed more top students will leave for Hong Kong this year.

The competition for top students with Hong Kong has affected mainland university recruitment in recent years. Greater numbers of high school graduates are applying for Hong Kong universities, and this is especially noticeable among the better students. How can Hong Kong attract so many top students from the mainland? In short, there are two reasons. First, Hong Kong universities offer incomparable scholarships to the best students; second, Hong Kong has an open international education environment, which helps students attain better qualities and abilities for work and future development. In fact, it's a tradition among top universities around the world to put in place scholarship policies to attract top students. It provides students from poor families with equal education.

Most mainland universities, however, spend too much money on infrastructure, buildings and campus expansion, rather than on scholarships or education itself. Thus, high tuition fees and increasing difficulty in finding a job after graduation further push many top students of the mainland to Hong Kong's universities.

Beijing Youth Daily

Income Tax

Raising the individual income tax cutoff point from 3,000 yuan ($460) to 3,500 yuan ($538) was a highlight of the second reading of an amendment to China's individual income tax law. The raised threshold means a lower taxation burden on many low and middle-income earners. More importantly, this time public opinions played a tangible role in the top legislature's decision on the adjustment.

More than 230,000 opinions were collected after the draft of the law. Of those, only 15 percent were supportive of the 3,000 yuan cutoff point while the majority appealed to raise the threshold. The public wanted to let their opinions be known through official channels and this showed their support of and hope for transparent legislation.

Behind every opinion is a different individual's expectation for the amendment. The response to these expectations and opinions was a test of the legislature's wisdom.

The result in deciding the new tax cutoff point shows the top legislature fully respects the people's opinions and therefore their enthusiasm for participating in matters related to their immediate interests is protected. Meanwhile, the result is also based on a kind of balance reached from a wide variety of opinion. It's hoped the tax cutoff point reform will set up a good example for other departments, so the public voice will be better heard.

Changjiang Daily

High-speed Train

The Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway officially opened on June 30.

Although China was not the inventor of high-speed rail, the Beijing-Shanghai railway is the world's first long-distance high-speed one in the real sense. Meanwhile, China is working on the world's first large-scale high-speed rail network.

People can benefit a great deal from this railway. It is another artery added to the stressed transportation between Beijing and Shanghai. It will undoubtedly pose a threat to air transportation.

Railways were invented in Europe, but history will prove they will find a promising prospect in China. The country will continue to push forward the development of railways. Problems of inter-city transportation in China are facing excellent opportunities to find a good solution.

High-speed rail technology is a perfect combination of learning and innovation. China is managing to run to the front from far behind in this field.

The Global Times

Charity Cause

Recently, a young woman who called herself "Guo Meimei Baby" showed off her extravagant lifestyle on her microblog, including several luxury sports cars and dozens of designer handbags. She claimed to be the general manager of a company named Red Cross Commerce. Guo's young age, her lavish lifestyle and her verified title of Red Cross Commerce general manager aroused curiosity among microbloggers.

The Red Cross Society of China made a public statement on June 22 saying there was no Red Cross Commerce in the organization and Guo was not its employee. Despite that, it is still hard to stop the spread of rumors that there is corruption inside the organization. Before the "Guo Meimei" case, the Red Cross Society has already been hit by some negative reports about it, such as extravagant dinners, which has greatly damaged the image of the organization.

Charity organizations such as the Red Cross Society are supposed to be totally transparent. A statement alone, without hard evidence, is not enough to remove people's doubts. More importantly, the Red Cross Society should examine itself and make improvements, so as to restore its credibility among the public.

The result of an online survey shows after the "Guo Meimei" incident, many people say their enthusiasm in donating has been hit. The "Guo Meimei" case is not only hurting China's charity cause, but also the public's enthusiasm for charity.

People's Daily



 
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