Partnerships will help solve energy conflicts In recent years, as the world economy has grown, demand for energy has risen. With oil prices constantly ascending, China's energy security has encountered severe challenges. China should adopt proactive measures to tackle the problem and ensure the sustainable growth of its economy. The century of China and India? Together, they are home to one-third of the world's population. Both have thousands of years of history. Both opened up their economy in the past quarter of a century. Both have been growing rapidly, one at a spectacular 9 per cent plus, the other at nearly 6 per cent. Desperate struggle as winter sets in It is well below freezing in the Himalayas. More reforms should follow tax revision China has decided to set 1,600 yuan (US$197) per month as the new threshold above which residents must pay personal income tax, raising the cut-off from 800 yuan (US$99). Society must not shun philosophers A friend of mine once told me a joke: A job hunter, a philosophy major, went here, there and everywhere in his search for employment, but in vain. Having run out of options, he swallowed his pride and took up the offer of playing a bear in a costume at a zoo. He was locked up in a cage, where he was supposed to imitate various bear-like movements to entertain visitors. |