INTERNET RUMORMONGER SENTENCED

Yang Xiuyu， a rumormonger with an online screen name of “Lierchaisi” and Manager of Beijing Erma Co.， an interactive marketing firm， was sentenced to four years in prison for illegal business practices on November 18 in Beijing. One of Yangs employees， Lu Mei， was sentenced to one and half years in prison that day.

Yang was born in 1973 in northeast Chinas Jilin Province. He founded Erma in 2006. Between 2008 and 2013， one arm of Erma made more than 530，000 yuan （$85，000） by posting false information and deleting posts critical of their clients. Another made 220，000 yuan （$36，500） between May 2012 and 2013 by deleting negative information concerning others. Many of Ermas fakeries have caused uproar and discord on the Web.

Neither Yang nor Lu will appeal their verdicts. Yang said in court he hopes everyone can learn a lesson from his crimes.

Legal Reform Unfolding

Caixin Century Weekly November 3

The decision adopted at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 18th Communist Party of China Central Committee in October makes clear the goal of promoting the rule of law in China. It pledges to improve Chinas legal system， enhance the enforcement of the Constitution， promote administration by law and ensure judicial justice. It also underlines the importance of strengthening peoples awareness of the rule of law and promoting the building of a society ruled by law.

The decision points out some of the problems that hinder the countrys efforts to advance its rule of law. For example， some laws and regulations have failed to reflect the peoples will； therefore， it is hard to apply them to real life situations. Implementation and enforcement of the law are currently weak and some illegal behaviors have not yet received due punishment. Some government officialsawareness of the rule of law is inadequate and they have even used their power to suppress the law. All these problems have posed obstacles to the realization of a country ruled by law. They must be cleared before the rule of law is fully realized in China.

With the blueprint for the rule of law having now been drawn up， the government needs to expend tremendous effort in order to turn this blueprint into a reality.

Transformation of Chinas Air Force

China Newsweek November 10

This year marks the 65th anniversary of the establishment of the Peoples Liberation Army Air Force （PLAAF）. When the PLAAF was founded on November 11， 1949， its top priority was to help the army in cross-sea battles. At that time， the PLAAF was an offensive force， as exemplified by its equipment which mostly comprised attack aircraft， such as bombers and fighters.

After the merging of the PLAAF with the Air Defense Force in 1957， the aerial branch of Chinas armed forces was gradually developed into a defensive force. This characteristic was evident both in its combat theory and weaponry.

The defense strategy exerted considerable influence on the development of the PLAAF. On the one hand， its defensive competence was continually strengthened， while on the other， its offensive ability was gradually weakened. While the air forces of Western powers were making remarkable progress during the 1980s and 1990s， the PLAAF lagged far behind. Defensive equipment far exceeded offensive equipment and its combat theory remained oriented toward national air defense.

In order to strengthen itself， the PLAAF started to conduct multiple studies aimed at formulating a new strategic combat theory in the 1980s. In 2004， the strategic requirement of building the PLAAF into an air force that integrates air and space capabilities and possesses both defensive and offensive abilities first made its appearance in Chinas national military strategy. President Xi Jinping has reaffirmed this requirement， vowing to enable the PLAAF to play a vital role in safeguarding national security.

University vs. Vocational School

The Beijing News November 18

According to a report by the China Youth Daily， a student from the School of Life Sciences of Peking University （PKU） dropped out three years ago， choosing instead to study at the Beijing Industrial Technician College. Zhou entered PKU in 2008 as one of the top five students who applied for science majors during that years college entrance examination in Qinghai Province. Of late， he has become widely known for giving up a prestigious university and choosing a barely known vocational school.

According to the report， Zhou quit PKU because he struggled with his major. He was more interested in the major he is now pursuing and has achieved outstanding academic results in his present school.

Some have applauded Zhous courage in pursuing his interest while others question his choice. They believe that he will come to regret his decision in the future when he is seeking a job. For a long time， the university diploma has been highly valued in the job market， and a technical college qualification is regarded as inferior to those awarded by universities.

However， it should be noted that prestigious universities and vocational schools should be treated as equals because they are both intended to cultivate talented people for society. However， a lot needs to be done to correct the current prejudice against vocational schools.

JAPANESE ACTOR PASSES AwAY

Ken Takakura， an outstanding Japanese film star known for playing outlaws and stoic heroes， died of lymphoma on November 10 at an age of 83， arousing strong repercussions among Chinese people.

Takakura was born in 1931 in Fukuoka， southern Japan. After graduating from Meiji University in Tokyo， he attended an audition on a whim in 1955 and became a film actor. He starred in over 200 films and won many Japanese and international film awards in his lifetime.

Takakura has huge numbers of fans in China. In the late 1970s and early 1980s， when China started to open up to the world， he was extremely popular among Chinese audiences due to his tough guy image as projected in films like Mount Hakkoda and The Yellow Handkerchief. In 2005， Takakura starred in renowned Chinese director Zhang Yimous film Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles.

Takakura also was accepted by the Chinese audience because of his respectable persona， humbleness and honesty.

“China will soon become a net capital exporter with outbound direct investment （ODI） growth of over 10 percent for the next five years.”

Zhang Xiangchen， Assistant Minister of Commerce， discussing a shortened list of ODI projects that require government approval released by the State Council on November 18 in a move to encourage enterprises

“Establishing a worldwide anti-graft network represents an integral part of global anti-corruption efforts.”

Zhang Jun， head of the Department of International Economic Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs， speaking at a press conference in Beijing on November 13

“The Internet is the shared opportunity of mankind and the shared hope of human progress. Of course， it is a responsibility that mankind should join hands to shoulder.”

Jack Ma， founder of Chinas online trade giant Alibaba， speaking at the opening ceremony of Chinas first World Internet Conference on November 19 in Wuzhen， Zhejiang Province

“Helping smaller firms gain access to direct financing on the stock market is even more important than increasing the availability of loans for them， and this is a pioneering arrangement.”

Zhang Liqun， a researcher with the Development Research Center of the State Council， referring to a string of measures designed to ease financing burdens for companies on November 19