No country is an island in regulating food safety:How the WTO monitors Chinese food safety laws through the Trade Policy Review Mechanism(TPRM)

Established within the framework of the World Trade Organization （WTO）, the Trade Policy Review Mechanism （TPRM） reviews periodically the trade policies of all WTO Members. The review includes many aspects of food safety regulation. China＇s trade policy is reviewed every two years. This paper analyses in detail the reviews of China＇s trade policy in 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014. It focuses in particular on food safety laws and types of standards, alignment of domestic standards with international standards, the role of different domestic institutions, transparency and notification of food safety measures under the WTO agreements on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures （SPS） and on Technical Barriers to Trade （TBTAgreement）, import and export, and geographical indications （GIs）. It concludes that the WTO TPRM can contribute, within its mandate, to reform of Chinese food safety laws and improvement of food safety in China. it notes that China has already undertaken substantial reforms of its system for regulating food safety. It recommends that China should continue to participate actively in the TPRM, follow its own path with regard to alignment and learn selectively from other WTO Members.

Policy Review and Outlook on China's Sustainable Development since 1992

The Road to Rio+20 is the journey of countries in the world pursuing the sustainable development.As the first country to release the national Agenda 21,China's experience and lessons are of great significance for both China itself and other countries.The paper reviews the progress made and problems remained in pursuing the sustainable development in China with regard to policy formulation,institutional arrangements,planning and management.In the past five years,the mandatory targets-driven approach,which focused on energy efficiency and key pollutants reduction,played a very important role and made China comprehensive outcomes for sustainability.In order to achieve the targets,China adopted an integrated policy package including legal,administrative,economic and technology instruments.During the 12th Five-Year Plan period(2011-2015),China will continue and strengthen the approach above and mainstream the transformation of economic development pattern through realizing the idea of green and low-carbon development.By summarizing policy trends in the world,the paper points out two directions,i.e.,integration approach and taking prioritized and concrete actions for a sustainable future beyond 2012.The paper also presents policy approaches and recommendations for sustainable development in the next 10 years in China.

Firm review revelation policy considering social ties among consumers

An optimization model is proposed to analyze the optimal review revelation policies and consumer online social network management strategies of e-commerce firms.The results show that displaying friend reviews to consumers does not necessarily increase firms profits.Only when positive reviews account for a large proportion of all the reviews and when the cost of showing friend reviews is not high,can showing friend reviews be more profitable than not showing such information.The distribution of social ties among consumers can affect firms profits.Even in the case that showing friend reviews to consumers is more profitable,an increase in the proportion of strong ties is not necessarily beneficial to firms.Only when the proportion of positive reviews is large enough,can firms profits increase with the increase in the proportion of strong ties among consumers.Moreover,the degree of consumer distrust in the average quality rating can also affect firms strategies for managing consumer online social networks.As the degree of consumer distrust in the average quality rating rises,firms are more likely to obtain higher profits by taking measures to increase the proportion of strong ties among consumers on their websites.

Higher Education for International Students in China:A Review of Policy From 1978 to 2020

Purpose:By reviewing policies on higher education for international students,this article aims to investigate the change of social-historical context,policy issue,and policy solution and provide implications for policymaking.Design/Approach/Methods:The study used qualitative text analysis.One hundred and twelve policy papers were collected from the PKULAW database and the Ministry of Education official website.Deductive categories were constructed under themes like social-historical context,policy issue,and policy solution separately.Findings:Four stages have emerged from the text analysis.The policy focus witnessed a shift from openness to expansion and then to quality.The policies made by the central government changed a lot accordingly.China is increasingly active in higher education internationalization and eager to make the education for international students an attractive brand with high quality.To realize this target,policies should be made based on different types of international students.Additionally,it is necessary that policies provide detailed guidance and accelerate capacity building in all majors.Originality/Value:This study contributes to existing knowledge of higher education for international students in China by providing qualitative policy text analysis,and the insights gained from this study may be of assistance to policymaking in the future.

Norwegian Policy Initiative of Offering Free Homework Assistance in Schools

Purpose:Through reviewing an education policy blueprint in Norway,titled“An Offer of Homework Assistance”(issued by the Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training in June 2010),the present article aims to shed light on how Norway uses education as an arena to realize social equality and equity.Design/Approach/Methods:This is an analytical policy review.Findings:By examining the background,goals,contents,and implementation of the homework assistance program,we have found that the Norwegian government institutes evidence-based policies in education.Although there is criticism concerning the policy and its implementation,empirical evaluative investigations have found that it brings a variety of benefits.Originality/Value:The present article is useful to understand educational policymaking in Norway and how the country is making efforts to achieve social equality and equity through education.

Reviewing China’s Energy Policies

On December 26,the Information Office of the State Council issued its first ever white paper on China’s energy conditions and policies."China’s energy development emphasizes thrift,cleanliness and safety,"says the white paper titled"China’s Energy Conditions and Policies,"under the joint compilation of the Energy Bureau and the Institute of Macro Economics, both under the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). Officials from the NDRC were interviewed by Xinhua News Agency on issues about the white paper.Here are excerpts of the interview.

Unmet needs as indicator of improving chronic care delivery system in China

In 2009, China strengthened its public health service system. Since then, the country has made remarkable achievements in community-based chronic disease prevention and control;however, certain groups still have unmet needs. During 2019 to 2029, China will consolidate the top-level design of its medical health system. During this period, the coordination of department policies, improvement of service delivery mechanisms, building an integrated health service system, and other issues will be highlighted. This study will provide a basis for designing China’s chronic disease prevention and control system during the next stage of development. We will consider the unmet needs of patients with chronic diseases as an indicator for remodeling the prediction system in combination with the elements and structural theories of complex health systems. In this article, we first introduce the definition and measurement methods of unmet needs. Second, we identify the existing unmet needs found among patients with chronic diseases with reference to the chronic disease prevention and control policies of China as well as current service items. Finally, we propose the design of community chronic disease service package for the next development stage based on unmet needs of patients with chronic diseases. We also provide suggestions for how to improve China’s chronic care delivery system.