SPRINTING INTO HISTORY

Chinese sprinter Su Bingtian made history on August 23 by becoming the first Asian athlete to enter the mens 100-meter final at a world athletics championship.

After clocking 9.99 seconds in the quarter-final， Su came in the ninth in the final with a result of 10.06 seconds at the 15th International Association of Athletics Federations（IAAF） World Championships in Beijing. Jamaicas Usain Bolt， who holds both Olympic and world titles， won gold in 9.79 seconds.

Born in Zhongshan， south Chinas Guangdong Province， in 1989， Su started to practice short-distance running in junior middle school. He has registered excellent performances in past races. For instance， he won gold at the 100-meter final of the IAAF World Challenge Seiko Golden Grand Prix in Kawasaki， Japan， in 2012， and silver at the same event at the 2014 Inchon Asian Games in South Korea.

Soccer Reform Taking a Further Step

Legal Daily August 21

According to a soccer reform plan published by the General Administration of Sport on August 17， the Chinese Football Association （CFA） will be separated from the administration. The CFA has thus transformed from a government department to a civil organization.

Although the Sports Law of China stipulates that sports associations can independently run themselves， organize matches and set the rules for sports competitions， in reality， few associations are able to fulfill such functions.

As sports results are an important gauge for judging officials performances， some officials would intervene in the operation of sports associations. Attention from the government would certainly promote the development of these associations； however， excessive intervention would hamper them from developing independently and formulating long-term plans.

The separation of the CFA from the General Administration of Sport represents a great opportunity for the development of soccer. However， how should CFA deal with its relationship with the government in the future？ In the past， the association was a government department that was entitled to require local governments to beef up security in order to ensure the smooth progress of a match. Now， as the association becomes non-governmental， it is uncertain whether local governments will help to keep order during the matches.

Such concerns are unnecessary. Its the legal obligation of local public security departments to safeguard social order. The association should require relevant departments to come up with security plans for their matches in accordance with the law.

Department Stores Looking for a Way Out

Oriental Outlook August 27

In 1917， the first department store was established in China， which combined functions such as retail， restaurants， hotel and recreational facilities.

Department stores are different from shopping malls. Stores focus primarily on retail. They buy and sell commodities to make profits， while those that run a shopping mall buy a land to build a mall and rent it to different retailers. Their profits come from rent fees.

However， as time goes by， many department stores in China have changed from their original roles as retailers to landlords. They rent the building from real estate developers for a lease of several decades and rent it out to retailers to earn the rent fees. In addition， they take a proportion of the retailers profits.

Under such a model， department stores are unable to adjust the commodities being sold according to the needs of the customers. They have no say in determining the prices or formulating marketing strategies.

With high prices and homogeneous commodities， department stores have gradually lost their competitive edge.

The average gross profit ratio of the industry is 17 percent， compared to the 30 percent in foreign countries where department stores are capable of buying and selling commodities and creating their own brands.

As the e-commerce booms， the department stores are having a hard time and seeking to transform themselves. Around 17 percent of them started to turn into shopping malls in 2013.

However， the key for these stores to survive lies in repositioning. They should stop selling commodities that can be found everywhere and develop their own distinctive personalities. Small department stores selling high-quality exquisite goods will have bright market prospects.

Is Military Training Necessary？

China Youth Daily August 20

As the new semester begins， schools across China are carrying out military training for new students. According to a recent report by China News Service， a high school student in Nanjing， east Chinas Jiangsu Province， overwhelmed by the intense physical training， called the police， complaining that he was forced by the military training instructor to keep on training when he sustained it no more. Doubts over military training have abounded in recent years.

Military training is legitimate as it is stipulated in the National Defense Education Law adopted in 2001 that primary and junior secondary school students should receive national defense education as part of their curriculum and that senior secondary school and college students should participate in military training and take national defense courses.

Military training provides opportunities not only to strengthen the body but also strengthen the will and cultivate personality. Meanwhile， the current military training system also need improvement. For example， the training is often boring and the same training program is applied to students with different physical conditions. In order to improve the efficiency of military training， students of similar physical prowess should be grouped into a class.

A WELL-DESERVED AWARD

Canadian writer Lisa Carducci was granted the Special Book Award of China in Beijing on August 25， along with 19 other recipients. The award， established in 2005， honors foreign writers， translators and publishers who have contributed to popularizing Chinese books or promoting cultural exchanges between China and other countries.

Carducci first visited China in 1985. Six years later， she landed a job with the Beijing International Studies University as a French and Italian language teacher and has made China her home ever since. She also worked with China Central Television and Beijing Review as a writer， editor and translator before her retirement in 2007.

She has published a host of books on China， such as My Tibetan Daughter and These Wonderful People of Xinjiang. She won the Friendship Award， the highest government award for foreign experts in China， in 2001， and has gained permanent residence status in her adopted country.

“What really matters to China and the United States is not who has the privilege to write trade rules but rather writing rules together with other countries in a bid to jointly promote open， transparent and rule-based economic cooperation that benefits all.”

Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai in an article published in The National Interest， a U.S. international affairs magazine， on August 26

“This is a difficult transition. The natural consequence of that is there is going to be volatility. This transition cant be made smoothly.”

Larry Zimpleman， Chairman and CEO of the U.S.-based Principal Financial Group， commenting on Chinese stock markets that experienced their two worst days on August 24-25 in eight years， crashing to the lowest level since December 2014

“The development of financial leasing will create more opportunities for international industrial capacity cooperation and the internationalization of Chinese enterprises.”

Cong Lin， CEO of ICBC Financial Leasing， a specialist leasing operation of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China， sharing his opinion after the Chinese Government approved a series of supportive measures for the development of this service on August 26

“Pension benefits depend on ones contribution payments made during their working life. It will continue to exist wherever you are. Its a kind of debt obligation the government has that will never change， even if ones citizenship changes.”

Chang Kai， a labor expert with Renmin University of China， commenting on the policy that allows Chinese retirees with a U.S. green card to be covered under the Chinese pension plan