ONLINE CELEBRITY-TURNED COLUMNIST

Luo Yufeng， an online celebrity who became famous for her bold opinions and excessive self-confidence， has recently been hired as a freelancer by one of Chinas leading news apps. News app ifeng announced the partnership on July 15， saying， “Luos straightforward style will offer a different perspective to readers.”

Luo， 30， first gained attention in November 2009， when she passed out flyers in Shanghai seeking a marriageable boyfriend who was required to meet a set of stringent requirements. She also called herself the “brightest human being in the past three centuries.” In September 2011， she relocated to New York City， where she worked as a manicurist.

In contrast to her arrogance six years ago， Luo adopted a humble tone as a columnist. In her debut column， she wrote about online controversy， a topic that she is only too familiar with， citing Chinese actresses and singers while calling for tolerance.

Taking the Medium View

Economy & Nation Weekly July 13

China has recently outlined its 13th Five-Year Plan （2016-20）， the first five-year plan made under the tenure of President Xi Jinping. At present， brainstorming sessions are underway to make the plan more feasible.

The expert committee of the plan is made up of 55 scholars specializing in areas such as economics， technology， law， environmental protection and public policy. Nearly half of these experts have studied overseas. As the international economic and political landscape is undergoing profound changes， a global perspective is crucial.

In addition to inviting commentary and suggestions from experts， the National Development and Reform Commission （NDRC）， which is responsible for writing the plan， has chosen 27 research institutions and several large domestic enterprises to undertake research on a range of subjects. Half of the proposed research subjects are economically related， encompassing issues such as restructuring and upgrading. New topics such as increasing consumer demand and globalization strategies for enterprises will also be tackled. Issues related to society and ecology have received more attention than in previous plans.

The NDRC has solicited help from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Asian Development Bank， which provided insight on future global economic trends and Chinas economic restructuring. The opinions of ordinary citizens are also taken into consideration. The NDRC has received over 10，000 suggestions from the public through an online platform， which mostly concentrate on medical care and provision for the old.

Central Party School Curriculum

Oriental Outlook July 23

The Communist Party of China （CPC） boasts over 87 million members， surpassing in number the population of any European country except Russia.

Since reform and opening up began in the late 1970s， around 2，000 officials have yearly attended the School of the CPC Central Committee in Beijing for several months of training. The school has recently expanded its recruitment to include Party secretaries at the county level. President Xi Jinping has made it a requirement that the over 2，800 secretaries of county-level Party committees take turns to receive training at the school from November 2014.

Education on the nature of the Party occupies over 20 percent of the curriculum and the school has made an attempt to fine-tune its teaching methods. Classes feature an analysis of major cases of disciplinary violations such as corruption so as to caution officials against similar offences. Officials are also sent to the CPCs former revolutionary base areas during their training， allowing them to learn about the hard realities of war.

In addition， officials take courses on the economies， technology， legal systems， politics and militaries of other countries. To graduate， trainees are required to have a number of group discussions， submit multiple papers and pass an oral test. They are also subject to strict discipline. Partaking of non-Party-related recreational activities during their studies is forbidden. Trainees are also banned from forming any alumni associations to discourage nepotism and corruption.

Mind Your Manners！

Legal Daily July 22

Recently， photos of a man and a woman kissing on a subway in Shenyang， capital of northeast Chinas Liaoning Province， uploaded to the Internet have spurred debate online. Local public security authorities have started an investigation into the case. The speed of transmission of information through the Internet has made it possible for incidents of this kind to go viral， with the Uniqlo fitting-room sex video that has garnered much criticism online being another example.

The age of the Internet has allowed the showcasing of improper or even obscene behavior in public places online. Videos or photos of such behavior are viewed by others and have a negative impact on society. The Internet has by and large transcended the limits of time and space. Obscene behavior occurring at one public location might be viewed minutes later by someone else thousands of miles away.

Solely criticizing improper actions from a moral perspective is inadequate to offset the damage they have incurred. In order to root them out， the law should be observed. Current laws have clear clauses governing public behavior and the sharing of information. However， the proliferation of pornographic photos or videos designed for commercial promotion continues unabated. In the long run， traditional Chinese values and legal awareness should be instilled so that people can voluntarily abstain from illicit content and vulgar behavior.

HIGH-RANKING OFFICIAL ARRESTED

Ling Jihua， former Vice Chairman of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference National Committee， the countrys top political advisory body， and head of the United Front Work Department of the Communist Party of China （CPC） Central Committee， was expelled from the CPC and removed from public office because of disciplinary violations on July 20. Prosecutors have opened an investigation into his suspected crimes and decided to arrest him.

The Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee decided to launch an investigation into Ling in December 2014 based on evidence uncovered by the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection， the Supreme Peoples Procuratorate and the Ministry of Public Security.

The investigation found that Ling， 59， had seriously violated the political code of conduct and rules of the CPC， as well as the Partys organizational and confidentiality regulations. He was also charged with using his position to seek profit for himself and others and accepting sizeable bribes in person and through his family.

“As a supplement to the current global and regional financial institutions， the New Development Bank （NDB） will strengthen the collective financing power of relevant countries and better promote the growth of developing countries.”

Finance Minister Lou Jiwei， pointing out that the NDB， newly established by the BRICS nations， does not represent a threat to the existing international financial system

“We are able to confirm that no company in the Free Trade Zone （FTZ） is suspected of manipulating futures trading in the stock market.”

Xu Wei， a spokesman for the Shanghai Municipal Government， refuting media reports on an FTZ companys involvement in such illegal practices at a press conference on July 22

“The fund from Beijing was already in place at the end of June， and the two cities [Langfang and Baoding] will complete their boiler revamp by November， when central heating will be supplied to all urban households.”

Zhuang Zhidong， deputy head of the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau， declaring that Beijing will spend 460 million yuan （$74 million） this year to help curb pollution in Langfang and Baoding located in the neighboring Hebei Province

“Growth in China is moderating—a slowdown that is not a goal unto itself but a by-product of moving the economy away from the unsustainable growth pattern of the past decade.”

David Lipton， IMF First Deputy Managing Director， pointing out that Chinas challenging economic restructuring is necessary from a long-term perspective