NEWLY APPOINTED MINISTER

Song Tao， a veteran diplomat， has recently been named head of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China （CPC）.

The International Department is a ministerial-level department responsible for conducting CPC international exchanges. Since its establishment in 1951， it has carried out international exchanges surrounding the central tasks of the CPC in different historical periods and made positive contributions to the Partys development and the countrys foreign affairs at large.

Song， 60， worked for the Foreign Ministry from 2001 to 2013. He served as Chinas vice foreign minister from 2011 to 2013 before becoming deputy head of the office of the CPC Central Leading Group for Foreign Affairs.

Household Registration for All

China Youth Daily November 25

Public Security Minister Guo Shengkun recently called for a resolution regarding the issue of people living without a household registration， or hukou. Currently， 13 million people， or 1 percent of the population， dont have a household registration or identification card in China.

According to the countrys laws and regulations， every newborn Chinese should be properly registered at the local police office. The registration is mandatory for a person to have legal rights and access to social welfare.

The number of people without a hukou has risen in conjunction with the implementation of Chinas family-planning policy in the late 1970s. Statistics show that more than 60 percent of them are children born to families who violated the family-planning policy. According to the household registration regulations， newborn Chinese citizens are entitled to a hukou with no strings attached. Relevant central government departments have also issued multiple notices to prohibit the denial of a hukou to citizens for violating the family-planning policy.

However， in reality many of those born in violation of the policy have not been granted a hukou. To solve the problem， the law should state that gaining a household registration is a basic right. Moreover， strict punishments should be dealt out to local governments that deny the registration for any reason.

An Example of Poverty Alleviation

Outlook Weekly November 23

By the end of 2014， 70.17 million people in Chinas rural areas still lived in poverty. The Central Government recently proposed a “precision” poverty relief program， which represents a targeted approach to fighting poverty. This is a marked shift from the previous “onesize-fits-all” approach and is part of the governments goal to build a moderately prosperous society in all aspects.

In addition to the governments increase in spending on programs to reduce poverty and adoption of preferential policies for poverty-stricken areas， local governments should also take action. Ningde in southeast Chinas Fujian Province has set an example for alleviating poverty.

Over the past 30 years， Ningde has developed modern agriculture to fit the local climate and successfully cultivated edible mushrooms and tea， which have brought huge economic benefits to the city. Gutian， a county in Ningde， became the largest edible mushroom production base in China and produced more than 50 tons of mushrooms last year with an output value of over 4 billion yuan （$620 million）.

Additionally， the city has encouraged village committees to play a central role in alleviating poverty in their regions. The city government also calls on college graduates to return to rural areas to start their own businesses.

Medical Staff Working in Multiple Institutions

Guangzhou Daily November 24

Since 2009， the Central Government has unveiled a slew of policies to support the development of private hospitals， which are expected to share the burden of medical care with public ones. However， private hospitals need to improve medical treatment quality to attract more patients. This includes hiring competent medical workers from public hospitals to work on a part-time basis.

While the government can help curb high medical costs by increasing healthcare spending， improving medical services is mainly the responsibility of hospitals. They should put in place effective incentive mechanisms， with a focus on facilitating personnel flow and promoting innovation. Doctors and nurses at public hospitals should be allowed to work at other medical institutions or operate their own clinics so as to develop their potential to the fullest.

Some officials asserted that may jeopardize the interests of public hospitals. But the fact is that public hospitals， especially reputed ones， are often overcrowded and charge even higher than private hospitals. Only when private hospitals have access to qualified doctors and nurses， will they be able to help lighten the burden of their public counterparts.

U.S. SCHOLAR AWARDED FOR CHINA STUDIES

David M. Lampton， Director of China Studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies， was granted the Award for Outstanding Contributions to China Studies， along with three other scholars at the Sixth World Forum on China Studies in Shanghai on November 20.

Lampton has been devoted to China studies for over 40 years and specializes in Chinese domestic politics and leadership， Chinese foreign policy， the policy-making process and China-U.S. relations. He is the author of numerous books on Chinese domestic and foreign affairs， including The Three Faces of Chinese Power： Might， Money and Minds.

The Award for Outstanding Contributions to China Studies aims to promote China studies abroad and facilitate friendly exchanges between China and other countries.

“Cosmetic procedures have grown incredibly popular in China as an increasing number of women go under the knife to get ahead.”

Chen Yuzhe， a member of the China Association of Plastics and Aesthetics， at the launch of an industry trend report predicting China will become the worlds third largest cosmetic surgery market after the United States and Brazil by 2019 on November 23

“Apart from the influence of improved nutrition and living standards， children are becoming more obese mainly because of a lack of exercise.”

Ma Jun， Director of the Institute of Child and Adolescent Health at Peking University， in response to a 2014 national fitness survey released on November 25 that said obesity among Chinese youth continues to rise

“By reading my stories， they realized， after all those years， that people across the Straits have fundamentally been living the same life. The ordinary stories about ordinary people bring connections and understanding.”

Liao Shinchung， a 38-year-old writer from Taiwan， in a recent comment on his memoir Once Upon a Time in Taiwan

“Under no circumstances should sexual harassment， violence or the abuse of women be tolerated.”

Mei Li， a campaigner for the rights of Chinese“comfort women，” females forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War II， during an event marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women in Hong Kong on November 25