OFFICIAL SENTENCED FOR NEGLIGENCE

Tong Mingqian， a former senior official in central Chinas Hunan Province， was sentenced to five years in prison for neglect of his duties in one of the largest election frauds in China on August 18.

A Beijing court convicted Tong， 56， of failing to investigate and stop a large-scale election fraud last year while serving as the leading official of Hengyang， Hunan. Then Secretary of the Communist Party of China Hengyang Committee， Tong was responsible for organizing the election for the citys deputies to the provincial peoples congress. During the election， he was informed that some candidates offered bribes to buy votes but took no measures to stop the illegal practices.

Investigations showed 56 candidates bribed hundreds of city lawmakers and staff for election to the provincial legislature. The amount of money involved exceeded 110 million yuan（$17.9 million）.

Global Natural Gas Market

World Affairs August 16

Relying on its dominant status in the international natural gas market due to its gigantic reserves， Russia generally links gas prices， transportation and pipeline construction in such a way as to realize its political goals. Its influence mainly focuses on the regional market centered on Russia.

The United States typically links its natural gas strategy with the unforeseen circumstances of geopolitics. It can affect the international natural gas market via its powerful national strength to serve the countrys political and economic targets.

Other natural gas giants like Qatar and Iran also intend to extend their political influences by controlling natural gas prices and trading. However， their energy advantages cannot convert into as much influence as they hope. Only with strong political power can energy advantages translate into international influence.

Under these complex circumstances， China should adopt both technical tools and political methods to deal with potential fluctuations. Technically， China needs to strengthen its natural gas resource exploration within technological， economic and environmental permissions to enhance the domestic natural gas supply while improving energy efficiency. Politically， it can use its influence to contribute to a more stable international natural gas market.

Ideal System Reform

Oriental Outlook August 21

As early as in 1992， late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping said that it might take 30 years for China to form a more mature and programmed institutional system， wherein all policies and principles would be even more conventionalized. He believed that three standards can measure whether or not the system is good enough： Economically， China should catch up with developed countries； politically， the country should help the people to govern in a way that is more practical and nuanced than the system in Western countries； and it should feature a more outstanding set of personnel than those countries.endprint

The Third Plenary Session of the 18th Communist Party of China Central Committee held in November 2013 confirmed that the system should be established by 2020. President Xi Jinping expressed a similar determination when delivering a speech in February. He said that todays pressing historic task for China is to establish a more complete， more stable and more effective institutional system for the countrys further development—a path that would lead to better livelihoods， social stability and longterm security for Chinese people.

Chinas governance system is a comprehensive result of long-term development， progressive reforms and endogenic changes based on historical heritage， cultural traditions and economic and social development. The countrys national governance requires further perfection and progress， while Chinese people must have their own exclusive vision to make their dreams come true.

Celebrity Drugs Abuse

Beijing Youth Daily August 19

Celebrities have occupied more of the social scene and carried influence. The public has a right to hold higher expectations of them. No one is above the law， not even celebrities. Famous people who get caught doing drugs can cause more damage to others and create worse consequences.

Recently， several Chinese celebrities， including kungfu star Jackie Chans son Jaycee Chan， have been detained due to their drug problem.

The Ministry of Public Security said in June that many celebrities are using drugs， and those caught were just the tip of the iceberg. It appeared poised to conduct a key crackdown on celebrity drug users， with even stricter punishment than usual.

Many people mistakenly think that celebrities hold a higher moral character. Public reputation， however， does not imply morality. Many stars have extraordinary influence over adolescents. Some even become icons that young people love and worship. Considering their significant influence on young people， these stars should set strict demands on themselves and set a good example. Celebrities who have been caught using drugs should apologize to their young fans and stay away from drugs from now on. Instead of hiding from the spotlight， they should take on more responsibility in the anti-drug fight.

AWARD-WINNING POET FACES BACKLASH

Zhou Xiaotian， a poet and professor with the College of Literature and Journalism at Sichuan University， came into the center of controversy after winning the prestigious Lu Xun Literature Prize in mid-August for his poetry collection， Invitation to Tea.endprint

Not long after the prize was awarded， Zhous verses were posted online by Internet users， with one commenting that they were “nothing more than doggerels unworthy of the prize.” Many have criticized the winner for the colloquial style of his poems. Zhou， however， has refuted the criticisms. “vernacular poems are not necessarily ill-written. You can hardly expect people to read serious poems nowadays，” he said. Zhou， born in 1948 in southwest Chinas Sichuan Province， is adept at writing poems about current affairs using ancient Chinese poetic forms but vernacular language.

The poetry prize， named after Lu Xun （1881-1936）， one of Chinas best-known modern writers， was first awarded in 1986. It honors writers of outstanding short- to mid-length novels， poems， prose， reportage and literary reviews， and is bestowed once every three years.

“The gap between these companies and their Western counterparts is not that big. Chinas drone industry is quite competitive， especially in the areas of avionics and flight control.”

Zhang Feng， Secretary General of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association of China， commenting on the technological prowess of Chinese unmanned aerial vehicle companies in a recent interview with Xinhua News Agency

“Chinas active participation in drawing up international standards will help domestic toy factories better understand and employ such standards in production.”

Li Zhuoming， an executive with the Guangdong Toy Association， speaking on August 15 about Chinas release of a new international toy safety standard adopted by the International Organization for Standardization， which is largely based on a Chinese national standard

“Almost three quarters of the parts of the Great Wall that was built during the Ming Dynasty （1368-1644） are poorly preserved， and under 10 percent is in sound condition.”

Wu Guoqiang， Secretary General of the China Great Wall Society， at a seminar in Beijing on August 15， calling for intensified efforts to preserve the Great Wall， which was built from the 3rd century B.C. to the A.D. 17th century for military defense

“Kenya and China have been recognized by the CITES [Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna] for their dedication to alleviating the menace of poaching. Both countries mete out heavy penalties on offenders.”

William Kiprono， Director of the Kenya Wildlife Service， commenting on Chinas donation of anti-poaching equipment worth $20，000 to Kenya on August 15endprint