"Now China and Vietnam are trying to solve territorial disputes in the South China Sea and dissipate their misunderstandings through maritime cooperation."

XU LIPING, Southeast Asian Studies researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said China's relations with Vietnam are still positive despite overlapping claims in the South China Sea. His comments follow Monday's declaration by Premier Li Keqiang that he wants cooperation with Vietnam in the South China Sea to expand to "a larger scale of joint development".

"No one wants to make the pollution worse, but you can't sacrifice your career either."

This comment on Tuesday from HU YANRONG, a consultant who drives 18 kilometers every day to her office in Beijing, is indicative of the persistence of residents in the Chinese capital in continuing to make private vehicles their first choice for transportation. This is despite continuing concerns about the worsening smog and fears of its deleterious effects.

(China Daily 03/02/2014 page1)