GENERAL FALLS FROM GRACE

Guo Boxiong， a former military leader， was expelled from the Communist Party of China （CPC） for taking bribes on July 30. The Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee also decided to transfer his case to military prosecutors.

Guo， 73， served as vice chairman of the Central Military Commission （CMC） from 2002 to 2012.

Investigations， which were launched in April， found that Guo took advantage of his post to seek promotions and benefits for others and accepted bribes personally or through his family.

Guos downfall came a year after that of Xu Caihou， another former CMC vice chairman， who died of cancer in March before facing charges.

“No matter what power one holds or how high ones position is， if a person violates Party rules and the law， he or she should be hunted down without compromise and without mercy，” said a Political Bureau statement.

Tightening Control Over Land Supply

Oriental Outlook July 27

Since the 1980s， the abundant supply of land in China has been the foundation for the countrys miraculously rapid economic growth.

In order to attract investment， local governments have sold the right to suburban land use at a low price or even yielded land use rights for free to investors. Such a practice， coupled with cheap labor， has enabled China to become a manufacturing powerhouse.

However， such a development model has wasted land resources. Although the Ministry of Land and Resources has taken multiple measures to strengthen the management of land resources since the 1990s， these efforts have not achieved the desirable result. Effective supervision is crucial to conservative land use. This year， the ministry conducted an evaluation of land use in 578 cities and will establish a national database on urban land utilization by 2018 to provide references for land use supervision.

As land approval is being tightened， local governments should tap into idle land， whose utilization rights have already been sold. Among the land that was let from 2009 to 2013， 70，200 hectares lay idle， an area tantamount to the size of Singapore. However， due to the obscure ownership of the land involved， many places are stuck between stringent land resources and huge amounts of idle land.

Remembering Alzheimers

China Newsweek July 27

As life expectancy has extended in China along with the countrys economic development， the number of Alzheimers patients has soared. Most of those afflicted by the disease are over 75 years old. In the past， the disease used to be exclusive to developed countries.

According to an epidemiological report on Alzheimers and other types of dementia in China published in the medical journal Lancet in June 2013， China has 9.19 million dementia patients， among which 5.69 million suffer Alzheimers.

Few patients and their families have recognized the importance of early treatment. Without early treatment， patients can slip unnoticed into the later stages of the disease characterized by complete memory loss， loss of motor abilities and incontinence. Many patients and their families feel ashamed to admit the disease and are therefore reluctant to seek treatment.

China is facing unprecedented challenges in combating the disease. Compared with better-known diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer， dementia is receiving insufficient attention from society and in scientific research. Hospitals lack expertise and experience in treating the illness. Also， traditional concepts of elderly care are losing sway in society， making family support less reliable.

The causes of the disease remain unclear， though it is found that it is closely connected with smoking， lack of exercise， high-blood pressure and diabetes. No medicine that can permanently control the disease has been found. Therefore， its important to promote a healthy lifestyle among seniors.

Cyber Security Legislation

Xinhua News Agency July 24

China is working on its first cyber security law， which clarifies that safeguarding cyber sovereignty and security is an indisputable international norm. The 68-article draft， which was discussed by lawmakers for the first time in late June， is designed to protect the public， not to undermine their freedom.

Although the Internet in a sense has no borders， Internet security has a border. Since Internet regulation is an international convention， China is entitled to supervise both Chinese and foreign companies doing business online in China. As long as companies offer products or services in China， they should abide by Chinese laws. China will treat domestic and foreign companies equally and has no intention of adopting trade protectionism disguised as safeguarding cyber security.

It is a matter of exercising management rights， which is part of Chinas sovereignty. Foreign critics will find themselves looking ridiculous in accusing China. However， how to exercise the rights is another matter. Both legislators and the government are open to opinions on managing the Internet.

China is still in its early stage of Internetrelated legislation， although it has the worlds largest number of netizens—700 million. Developed countries such as the United States have put in place a comprehensive legal system and Internet security checkup procedures to guarantee their cyber security， a new domain of national security. China is actually learning from these countries in terms of cyber security legislation.

TERROR VICTIM

Zhang Nan， a 29-year-old Chinese armed police officer tasked with the security of the Chinese Embassy in Somalia， was confirmed among the victims of a deadly attack at Jazeera Palace Hotel in Mogadishu， where the embassy is located， on July 26.

Zhang was born in a small village in Chinas northern Hebei Province. He joined the armed police at the age of 18， initially working as a military dog handler. Six years later， he was selected to become an elite sniper and anti-terror expert owing to his hard work and integrity. Prior to that， he had won awards for his outstanding skills. Zhang was deployed to Somalia in January.

In April， Zhang was injured in a mission in Mogadishu. But he was determined to stay with his mission despite being asked by superiors to return home for recovery. Zhang had planned to get married after finishing his duty in Somalia.

“Actually， these blocs move along the same road. The principal economic space consisting of Russia， China and Kazakhstan will be the nucleus of the future Eurasia-wide structure.”

Denis Tyurin， Director of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Business Club， commenting on the alignment of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union in a recent interview with Xinhua News Agency

“I didnt see that there are contradictory interests； I see convergences.”

José Manuel Barroso， former President of the European Commission， speaking in favor of the China-initiated Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank in a recent interview with China.org.cn

“Allowing state capital， non-state capital and employees to each hold one third of the shares is a suitable proportion for the next step in mixed-ownership reform.”

Zhou Fangsheng， Deputy Director of the China Enterprise Reform and Development Society， telling China Daily that the ongoing state-owned enterprise reform will enable overseas investors to enter key industries

“The fundamentals have started to stabilize and this will help maintain the healthy development of the capital market， including the stock market.”

Li Pumin， spokesman for the National Development and Reform Commission， stating his belief that the Chinese economy is still on the right track at a news conference in Beijing on July 28