What a Load of Rubbish

Figures from the National Bureau of Statistics show that urban rubbish is increasing at a surprising speed countrywide. In 1999, industrial solid waste around the country amounted to 784 million tons while in 2005 the number had jumped to 1.34 billion tons. At present, of the country's 668 cities, two thirds are surrounded by rubbish.

Rapid economic growth has contributed to better living conditions, but it has also brought with it pollution, especially huge amounts of industrial waste discharge. Enjoying an improved material life, people are also producing vast quantities of domestic refuse. In Shanghai for instance, the annual per-capita garbage output is growing by 10 percent.

Shortsighted urban layout is also to be blamed. In many Chinese cities, the issue of garbage was actually not taken into account when the urban planning was done. As a result, rapid urbanization leaves no space for rubbish. Almost all of the suburbs surrounding China's big cities are surrounded by big rubbish dumps.

In order to save the cities from the invasion of garbage hills, the state must adopt more effective waste disposal, recycling and collection methods by applying advanced technologies and also pay more attention to the urban layout.

Shanghai Securities Journal 

Dumping Costs on the Public Bad NewsIt is true that replacing paper tickets with IC cards will benefit both passengers and bus companies, as the latter are more convenient and can save ticket-printing fees. However, while bringing convenience, IC cards, which only cost bus companies 10 yuan but are sold to passengers at 20-30 yuan, actually require payment for extra items. All demanding passengers have to pay the bill.

Bus companies are not the only ones that can make big money from perceived small changes or so-called reforms. For example, since the passenger ticket-booking system was launched by the Ministry of Railways in 1995, every ticket sold on this platform costs passengers an extra 2 yuan. This "transitional" charge system is now 12 years old, without any hint of being replaced by a reasonable new one. Despite public complaints, within 10 years this practice has brought millions of yuan in revenues to the railways sector.

Social reform is composed of all kinds of changes, small or big. If the public is required to bear all the cost, the reform will find fewer and fewer supporters. It does not mean the public should be freed of the contributive duty, but there must be a reasonable cost-sharing system to ensure that the people are not targets of "exploitation."

Oriental Morning Post

Help, Don't Hamper Fledgling Entrepreneurs

Limited job opportunities are challenging college graduates in China, so self-employment is becoming an option to avoid the fierce competition in the employment market. Nevertheless, although 72 percent of the respondents to a nationwide survey expressed their wish to start up their own businesses, they are overwhelmed by the possible difficulties they will meet in doing so.

The Chinese Government does have formulated some preferential policies to help startup companies, but there are no detailed schemes to put these polices into practice. When it comes to tax exemption and financing, despite helpful policies, students are still faced with problems that also hamper experienced entrepreneurs.

A capital shortage may be the biggest headache plaguing them. Just graduating from school, they do not have huge amounts of capital in their hands, and their families, particularly those in rural areas, having just spent all their savings on the students' education, cannot offer financial assistance either. When they apply to banks for loans, most lenders are reluctant to help, believing these young entrepreneurs are unable to pay back loans.

Facing so many problems, only 2-3 percent of college

graduates can eventually achieve success in running their own businesses.

Given the growing employment demand, to encourage self-employment is actually a way to relieve society of pressure. Preferential policies are welcome, but they must be detailed and practical that can ensure the startup companies a favorable operating environment.

China Youth Daily

Migrants' Rights Deserve Equal Respect

In south China's Guangzhou city, floating peddlers are divided into different groups, with those from outside Guangzhou gradually forbidden to do business in the city. The municipal government is reportedly working out an access threshold for those who want to stay in Guangzhou, in the hope of downsizing the "low-quality" population.

Actually, facing all kinds of unfair treatment, the majority of migrant workers and peddlers still hope to make money to support their families through their hard work. While gaining a small profit margin, they also help to make life more convenient for urban residents. However, some urban governments seem blind to all of this.

There is a possibility that when these originally good people are deprived of the last hope to make a living through honest work, they may turn to crimes for the survival of the rest of their families-a response to the hostile attitude from urban administrators.

With China's decades-old household registration system becoming more flexible and cities across the country trying to make it easier for people from outside to become integrated with local urban life, various restrictions and prejudices against the migrant population are actually going against the goal of building a harmonious society.

Yanzhao Metropolis Daily