CHINESE SCHOLAR KIDNAPPED

Zhang Yingying， a 26-year-old Chinese visiting scholar at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign， has been missing since June 9.

The suspect， Brendt Christensen， is a 28-year-old former Ph.D. student researcher from the university. He was arrested on June 30 and appeared in the federal court in Urbana on July 3. But he declined to disclose the whereabouts of Zhang， who authorities think is no longer alive. Christensen was ordered held without bail on July 5.

During the nine-minute hearing， Christiansen did not speak other than to acknowledge to the judge that he understood his rights.

Christensen could face life in prison if convicted of the kidnapping， according to Sharon Paul， spokesperson for the U.S. attorneys offi ce for Illinois.

Liu Jun， acting Chinese Consul General in Chicago， asked the FBI to step up efforts to fi nd Zhang as soon as possible.

Differentiated Standards for Online and Offl ine Products

Legal Daily June 29

A report published by China Consumers Association on June 28 has found that products offered in brick-and-mortar stores are usually priced higher than identical items sold online and their quality is also better than that of those sold online. This indicates that some enterprises have double standards for online and offline products.

Consumers choose to shop online both for the convenience and for the cheaper prices. However， the double standard has led to con- sumers sacrificing quality for lower prices in online shopping.

Such a double standard may sometimes mean cheating customers. The report says that several products available online are sold despite their failure to meet national standards.

Consumers interests are inevitably harmed in the process. Normally， consumersexpectations of online products are based on the quality of the same products sold offline. Different quality standards of online and offl ine products prevent online products from meeting consumers expectations. Consumers trust and confi dence in the brand will be damaged. In the long run， the brands reputation， formed over time， will be destroyed and its growth hindered.

To win over consumers， enterprises should uphold honesty and integrity. Otherwise， they will not only be subject to punishment by government authorities， but also pay a heavy price for their dishonest practices.

All Roads Lead To Beijing

Oriental Outlook July 6

Beijing and its neighbor， Hebei Province， are accelerating their integration so as to boost economic development. Traffic integration stands out as a priority. Travelers between Hebei and Beijing usually use private vehicles. Besides， compared with urban railways， which focus on passenger transport， roads play a more important role by transporting cargo as well as people. Logistics rely heavily on road transportation.

As the Beijing-Shenyang Expressway is becoming saturated， the Beijing-Qinghuangdao Expressway is expected to play a bigger role， connecting Beijing and cities and towns along its route through Hebei. Yanjiao of Hebei， a town only 35 km east to Beijing， will see several important logistics programs developed in coming years. Once the Beijing-Qinghuangdao Expressway is completed， Yanjiaobased logistics businesses can greatly help the integrated development of Beijing and its neighboring areas. Construction of the expressway is expected to be mostly finished by the end of 2017. Another important expressway also under construction is the Beijing Outer Ring Road， which will connect the seven expressways radi-ating from Beijing. When the two expressways are completed， the capital and its neighboring region will go ahead hand in hand at a faster pace.

Distinguishing Clinical and Research Doctors

Guangming Daily June 28

The overemphasis on scientifi c research and inadequate consideration of clinical skills in Chinas evaluation system for doctors should be changed. Li Lianda， one of Chinas top experts on traditional Chinese medicine and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering， recently warned against the phenomenon whereby one academic paper is more valuable than doing 1，000 surgeries or saving 100 patients， and pointed out that a doctors top priority should be treating patients.

Excessive attention to scientific research in the current assessment system for doctors has resulted in medical experts with mediocre clinical skills. As scientifi c research becomes the criterion for promotion， many doctors spend a vast amount of time doing research in labs. Such a system has also given rise to academic corruption including plagiarism. On the other hand， some doctors with strong medical skills have been unable to secure promotion owing to a lack of published papers.

The current doctor evaluation system may be reformed by borrowing experience from developed nations. Its extremely diffi cult to secure a license to practice medicine in some countries. Doctors are divided into family doctors and those specializing in scientifi c research. Family doctors， who account for the majority， dont need to do research， and only doctors in large hospitals are required to do medical research.

Therefore， different assessment systems should be applied to different types of doctors. Its crucial to distinguish clinical and research-oriented doctors in order to enable high-caliber clinical doctors to receive due social recognition and promote the sustainable development of the medical sector.

LEECO FOUNDERS ASSETS FROZEN

Cash-strapped Jia Yueting， the founder of Chinese Internet giant LeEco， who stepped down from the position of company legal representative on June 13， is facing another blow. On July 3， 1.24 billion yuan （$183 million） in assets belonging to Jia and three of LeEcos affi liated companies were frozen by Shanghai High Peoples Court.

The court made the ruling after a China Merchants Bank branch applied for a property preservation order in June to block the assets as LeEco failed to pay interest due on bank loans to fund its smartphone business.

LeEco has been wrestling with a fi nancial squeeze since last November， with Jia admitting publicly that the expansion into smartphone， automobile， cloud services and Internet fi nance was a step too far.

“As the second largest financial contributor， Chinas contribution to peacekeeping is extremely important…I was deeply impressed by the quality of the Chinese contingent， qualified people and quality equipment.”

Jean-Pierre Lacroix， UN Under Secretary General for Peacekeeping Operations， in a recent interview with Xinhua News Agency

“Chinas experience is that it has not copied any other countrys development path and has not entirely followed European or U.S. scholarsadvice， especially their advice on the financial sector， but that it has formed its own model of development.”

Cai Esheng， Chairman of Hong Kong-based Finance Center for South-South Cooperation， on the Chinese development model at Tsinghua University in Beijing on July 2

“Speed and agility are no longer the most important factors. The key to winning air operations， electromagnetic operations， or cyber operations is‘information agility， the priority and mobility of information.”

Yang Wei， Deputy Director of the Scientific and Technological Commission at the Aviation Industry Corp. of China， at a seminar on air operations on July 3

“Cooperation with Chinese businesses means the establishment of new enterprises， creation of jobs， and investment in infrastructure.”

Russian Economic Development Minister Maxim Oreshkin， on China-Russia economic and trade cooperation in a recent interview with Xinhua News Agency