No baby buying, no baby selling

A young couple in Shanghai are being prosecuted for trying to sell their infant daughter on the Internet for 50,000 yuan ($8,205), says an article in Guangzhou Daily. Excerpts:

In the old days there were people who sold their kids to landlords as it was difficult for them to raise one child because of their extreme poverty. However, this couple in Shanghai are not that poor and have the means to bring up the child. On the contrary, after purchasing iPhones and high-end sports shoes online, they immediately spent the money they earned from selling their kid.

What makes it even more terrible is that they are not the only parents selling a child online. According to the criminals behind the trafficking of 49 babies in Yunnan province, there is a saying in some poverty-stricken areas in the province that it is more profitable to sell a child than it is to raise pigs.

Parents comparing the profits between selling a child and selling pigs is monstrous, and those who make the seemingly well-intended decision to "find a better-off family that guarantees their growth and happiness" show the decline of human ethics.

But if there was no demand, there would be no market. It is a crime to both sell and buy infants. Only by cutting the criminal methods of baby trafficking at the source can the "chain" be broken.

Unite against air pollution

Recently the World Health Organization released a report on the health risks associated with air pollution and said air pollution is the most dangerous environmental carcinogen. It is time everyone made an effort to combat air pollution, says an article in Beijing Times. Excerpts:

Even though polluted air is not so terrible that everyone will get cancer, yet it is definitely harmful.

From the multi-pronged air pollution battle plan at the national level to the regional plan aimed at improving air quality in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province, from relevant legislation to the severe punishment system in the anti-pollution battle, every measure is well prepared now. But in fact, people's ignorance is the key reason why it is so difficult to win the war against air pollution.

It remains a question whether the WHO report findings will lead to any substantial changes in the deeply-rooted mentality that hinders environmental protection. However, failure to make a change in mentality will mean losing credibility and people's faith in the government.

This transition, for the government, means saying no to black GDP sectors and emphasizing the equality of development to guarantee people can live with dignity; for companies it means technological upgrading and finding a sustainable substitutes for polluting projects; while for ordinary people it means actively changing their lifestyles and saving energy as much as possible. The battle against pollution requires everyone's effort and contribution.

(China Daily 10/25/2013 page9)