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North Korea Halted Nuclear Tests over Possibility of Conflict with US
Pyongyang used to believe threats of war from US were empty rhetoric, but lately began to perceive they could be more serious intent, says an expert
Penalties Needed For Discarding Pharmaceuticals In Trash
Laws are needed to change consumer behavior given the dangerous impacts of discarding medication in household waste
Doctor Detained, Released Over Medicinal Tonic Warning
Police should be cautious using their power, a commentator says, after a doctor was arrested and detained over his claims about a pharmaceutical product
Australian Sentiment on China Mixed
Australia has remained ambivalent about China’s rise, balancing populism against a need to benefit from China's growth
Challenges Still Expected over North Korea Nuclear Crisis
North Korea’s announcement that it will suspend its nuclear tests does not guarantee a nuclear-free Korean peninsula, and much will ride on the meeting with the US president
Visual Report
To date, Baopals has taken more than 100,000 orders – nearly 600,000 items from 20,000 registered members. Charlie and his pals moved the operation out of their apartment last September, and into a new office with 26 full-time staff and a lion-wig-wearing dog.
To their surprise, the team has found more than just language problems can prevent expats from using Taobao. There’s also a lack of trust. But Jay and Charlie say they’re trying to overcome that.
Jay writes a weekly column called CCC (The Cool, The Cheap & The Crazy) on Baopals’ website and WeChat account, introducing buyers to the coolest gadgets, the cheapest goods, and the weirdest stuff their team has found for sale.
Jay surveyed their registered members’ searches and found that their top searches are for bicycles, Xiaomi phones, iPhones, Game of Thrones, boots, PS4s, funny Halloween costumes and sexy dresses.
1. Braised eggplant, grilled cauliflower, and fried noodles with sliced pork: the Baopals pals, Charlie, Jay and Tyler, order their meal at a Hunanese restaurant in Shanghai.
2. Jay and Charlie attend a summit on e-commerce entrepreneurship in early July.
3. Jay and Charlie say they are trying to build trust between expats and Taobao vendors, and to dispel the common misconception that products made in China are of low quality.
4. This startup experience has convinced the team of China’s promising business environment.
5. The trio still cannot figure out how on earth deliveries in China can arrive so quickly.
6. Jay and Charlie look after the company’s operations and team building, while Tyler handles all the tech work.
Politics
Watchful Eyes
After a pilot programme of supervisory system reform in Beijing and the provinces of Zhejiang and Shanxi, a supervision system with greater scope and checks and balances will roll out nationwide
Lawmakers to Amend Chinese Constitution
The 12th Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s highest legislative body, held its last meeting on January 30, during which the delegates present passed a resolution to submit a draft Constitutional amendment to the new NPC, whose delegates have been elected and are scheduled to hold their first meeting on March 5, 2018.
Society
Virtual Boyfriends, Real Cash
Romance-based mobile game Love and Producer was a massive hit with young women in China, who fell for the fantasy of a perfect man. Now, some of them are falling out of love just as quickly, as they question the fat profits the game developer is scooping up
Intellectual Disgrace
A spate of sexual harassment cases on Chinese campuses has generated a huge public outcry to ‘put the power of supervisors in a cage’
NEWS BRIEF
more- State Council Restructured to Streamline Bureaucracy
- May Visits China in Brexit Trade Push
- French President Visits China
- The Fourth World Internet Conference Highlights Openness
- Scientists Say SARS Originates from Bats
- Xi Jinping Visits Vietnam
ESSAY
Cold War over Refrigerator
Near Catastrophe
