Zhang Shuangbing， a retired rural primary school teacher in north Chinas Shanxi Province， has spent more than 30 years visiting and interviewing over 100 comfort women， a euphemism for girls and women forced into sex slavery by the Japanese army during World War II （WWII）.

Inspired by Zhangs persistence， director Zhang Yueping made a film based on the experiences of three former comfort women which was re-released on August 14 to mark the anniversary of Japans August 15， 1945 surrender in WWII.

The fi lm Dahan， or Great Cold， tells of the suffering and torture of the fi ctitious protagonist Cui Dani and her fellow villagers by Japanese invaders during the war.

Zhang has helped 16 victims sue the Japanese Government in several cases since the 1990s， asking for apologies and compensation. All have failed.

“The victims I have helped passed away without receiving the justice and apologies they had longed for most of their lives，” said Zhang. “I thought about giving up， but my conscience didnt allow me to do so.”

Tougher Punishment for Convicted Executives

Legal Daily August 9

According to a recent report on the criminal cases of executives of listed Chinese companies from 2016 to 2017， 261 such individuals were placed under coercive measures， of which more than 100 were sentenced to probation， with very few receiving a prison sentence of more than 10 years.

Executives of listed companies wield great power in corporate management. Any legal violation on their part will result in irreversible losses to their companies， thereby disrupting the securities market at large. Therefore， stringently punishing those who transgress the law is essential to regulating such companies， protecting the interests of investors and promoting the healthy growth of the capital market.

However， in reality， criminal acts committed by corporate executives occur frequently because of light punishments， and many such cases involve huge sums of money.

Although the Criminal Law has a provision for the criminal activity of corporate executives， the country still lacks a complete legal framework of the kind seen in developed countries. Consequently， most convicted senior managers of listed companies are subject only to reprieve or fines which are far less than the economic gains of the crimes.

Therefore， it is necessary to strengthen the punishment of corporate executives who have broken the law by giving longer prison sentences and hefty fi nes. Only by intimidating criminals with both imprisonment and fi nes can their illegal activities be brought under control.

Reversing Birth Rate Decline

China Newsweek August 13

According to the National Bureau of Statistics， 17.23 million babies were born in China in 2017， down by 630，000 against 2016. More than half of births last year were second children， while first children accounted for little more than 40 percent of newborns.

Chinas current family planning policy was implemented on January 1， 2016. It allows all couples to have two children in order to encourage births and offset the impact of an aging society.

Su Jian， a professor of economics at Peking University， said that the declining proportion of first children in birth records indicates a reduced willingness to have children among young couples. Second child births， however， come primarily from older mothers， who are seizing the opportunity presented by the new policy. The number of new second children is likely to dwindle signifi cantly in 2018 and 2019.

A rapidly declining birth rate will lead to the acceleration of an aging society， causing serious problems in the demographic structure. Therefore， the formulation of pro-birth policies has become a matter of urgency.

Some experts suggest building more kindergartens as studies show that the birth rate of second children could increase by 8 percentage points if the shortage of such institutions is addressed. Financial subsidies and tax reductions for families with more than one child are also important ways to encourage births. Whether or not a fully relaxed birth policy should be introduced has also become an issue of hot debate in government and academic circles.

Yet some experts believe that it is hard to tell whether the removal of birth restrictions would reverse the declining birth rate because experiences of other countries show that once births start to decrease， it is diffi cult to arrest the decline.

Improving Language Profi ciency

Guangming Daily August 13

According to the National Bureau of Statistics， the childrens English training industry in China is currently valued at 60 billion yuan （$8.73 billion） and it will increase by 20 percent year on year on average between 2015 and 2020.

Many scholars express doubts about the importance of learning English in a country where the language is seldom used. They argue that it may be more effective to let a small group of people with profi cient English deal with all affairs requiring the use of the language.

Studies show that its more effi cient to learn a foreign language， especially in its spoken form， at an early age. As for concerns over whether bilingual learning will hinder the ability to speak either language fl uently， it depends on the methods of teaching and the amount of time devoted to each language.

From the perspective of social progress， it is inevitable for a country to evolve from a monolingual society to a multilingual one.

In order to improve the nations overall language quality， peoples ability to speak not only English， but other foreign languages as well， needs to be strengthened. This calls for elevating foreign language training to a national strategy. Moreover， efforts should be made to guarantee childrens basic right to learn a foreign language. Otherwise， it will be the economic capacity of parents that determines childrens profi ciency of foreign languages， resulting in social inequality.

FATHER OF CHINESE MARINE GEOLOGY DIES

Liu Guangding， a geologist whose work served as the scientifi c backbone for Chinas offshore oil and maritime development， died on August 7 at the age of 89.

Hailed as the father of Chinese marine geology， Liu dedicated his life to the pursuit of the countrys energy and maritime interests. He helped create Chinas fi rst and most comprehensive charts of the ocean fl oor in nearby waters in 1992.

The charts detailed Chinas marine topography， geodynamic features， natural resources and other key data across nearly 3 million square km of territorial waters. They later became the go-to reference for the countrys offshore oil and gas industries， as well as for marine disaster monitoring， navigation and the protection of maritime sovereignty.

Liu was born in Penglai， east Chinas Shandong Province. After graduating from Peking University in 1952， he taught at the Beijing Geology Institute for 12 years. Liu became an academician with the Chinese Academy of Sciences （CAS） in 1980 and served as director of the CAS Institute of Geology and Geophysics from 1989 to 1993.

“People dont like trade wars. Elected officials must represent their people or they will not be reelected. The bottom line is its about your family， my family. Its a real problem that hits your heart.”

Iraj Kamalabadi， Executive Director of the Future Trends International （Group） Corp.， a consultancy active in China and the United States， in a recent interview with Xinhua News Agency

“Much of what China does through the Belt and Road Initiative converges with what we are doing in refugee hosting countries： linking humanitarian and development aid to better address long-term problems and seeking solutions to the refugee crisis.”

Filippo Grandi， UN High Commissioner for Refugees， after completing a visit to China on August 11

“Xinjiang [Uygur Autonomous Region] is firmly committed to combating terrorism， extremism and separatism according to law， and opposes linking the efforts to specific ethnic groups or religions.”

Hu Lianhe， a member of the Chinese delegation， at the 96th Session of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on August 13

“This hate crime does not define who we are. This is a diverse， wonderful， beautiful neighborhood made up of hard working families， seniors and children that celebrate and welcome diversity.”

New York City Council member Mark Treyger， condemning the anti-Chinese graffiti scrawled in the fast-growing Chinatown in Brooklyn， New York Citys largest borough， on August 6