朝陽File photo shows Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte supporters gather during a vigil backing the anti-drugs crackdown at the Luneta park in metro Manila, Philippines February 25, 2017

利錦What has it to do with dissolving the lower house now?" said Seiji Maehara, leader of the largest opposition Democratic Party平層TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced at a press conference on Monday that he will dissolve the House of Representatives when it convenes Thursday to pave way for a general election next month

朝陽The prime minister cited the need to seek a fresh mandate to overcome "a national crisis" caused by "the biggest challenge facing Japan, which is the population aging and low birthrate," as well as security challenges利錦Abe has been under fire for his connection with nationalist private school operator Moritomo Gakuen, which purchased a piece of state-owned land in Osaka for only a fraction of the market price平層He said that he would seek mandate from the people for shifting the usage of part of the revenue generated by a consumption tax hike that has been delayed until 2019 from paying debt to welfare policies朝陽He added that the reason Abe cited for dissolving the lower house is not convincing, and that the prime minister is just trying to avoid further grilling on favoritism scandals利錦He also said that he would seek public support for a tougher stance over the Korea Peninsula issue

平層He has also been accused of using his influence to make the government choose Kake Educational Institution, run by a close friend of Abe's, to open a new department in a government- designated special economic zone朝陽Abe's decision to call for a snap election, however, has drawn staunch criticism from opposition parties, which argued that there is no reason to dissolve the lower house of parliament before its current term expires in December 2018利錦After about a year in Hefei, Park took a job in the United States and tried to persuade Cho to give up Hefei

平層What three words would you use to describe China today? Revitalizing, changing, confident朝陽In 2000, with Cho's help, the Banyang Elementary School - in which she had studied - began teaching Chinese利錦"I told him that we had just started here and we should at least spend five years in the city before judging whether we should move to another place," Cho said平層"There were even South Korean businessmen who intended to invest in Hefei but decided to invest in Shanghai and Nanjing instead, as they found the two cities to be more developed," she added

China is a big country, so officials have to collaborate with each other wellI don't believe the Western countries' political practices could work in China, though many of them are considered successful by the Westerners themselves

First, China is playing an increasingly important role in the world, so some neighboring countries, and especially some developed Western countries may regard China as a challenger to the power they have maintained for many yearsShe has helped more than 3,000 students from Anhui to study in her country, and more than 1,000 were given job opportunities thereOne of the results is that the Chinese people are more confident than ever about their country's developmentIt's hard to make long-term predictions, but I hope China can keep its own development pace and have its own development patterns

I believe that in the coming five years, the gap between coastal and inland regions will be narrowedOpening up to the world has brought dramatic changes to the coastal regions, which have been more developed that the inland areasCho's brothers and sisters also brought their children to HefeiThe younger one attended Anhui University of Chinese Medicine and earned bachelor's and master's degrees there

"When the eldest of my two sons was in the third year of middle school, his history teacher, who had some experience in China, suggested the students go to live there and have a close look at the old country," Cho saidBefore coming to China as an adult, she worked at Soon Chun Hyang University as a teacher

"On the visit to Hefei, I found it was not very developed but thought it would have great potentialTo better promote the educational exchanges, Cho and her husband founded the Handa Cultural Exchange Co in Hefei in 2006, with Cho as president

She herself knew little of the province or its capital at that time, so she decided to have a look before taking her family there"In the five years since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, China has invested more than ever before in poverty relief, and President Xi Jinping has vowed to eliminate poverty by 2020," Cho notedShe is now helping the development area build a China-South Korea Industry Park, and she has already brought in three South Korean companies to invest in the city's high-tech zoneOfficials should all start from basic positions and get promotions graduallyHe has been trying his best to achieve what he has vowed to doI became the first South Korean person to receive the Chinese Central Government's Friendship Award in 2002 and the first from my country to get permanent residency in China in 2006

We didn't expect that we would come to love the country as much as we do," said Cho, who speaks fluent MandarinSome of China's practices are also worth learning, such as how it trains its officials

" What do you feel has been China's biggest achievement over the past five years? What's the most notable change you've observed? China has achieved much in many aspects over the last five yearsOver the last 21 years, South Korean teacher Cho Sung-hye has contributed much to the friendship between the people of her country and China

A remarkable South Korean teacher took up residence in Hefei, Anhui province, at the urging of her young son and never looked back"Nowadays all the primary schools in my country have made Chinese-language courses available to students," said Cho, who was believed by some local media to have given the strongest push to the achievement

It was the first primary school in the country to do so"At the peak, I had 21 relatives living here, and there are still 12 of them now," Cho saidFor the last five years, the air has been clearing upWhat do you think China will be like in five years' time? How do you view China's longer-term future? Chinese people's incomes have increased significantly in recent years and they will become richer in the next five years

" Cho and her husband have also donated hundreds of thousands of yuan to help prevent the children of poverty-stricken rural families in Anhui from dropping out of schoolCho said the number of the poverty-stricken students is declining, and they can now get more financial support from the government, rather than relying on occasional social donations

Do you believe that some of China's experiences or practices could be used to solve pressing global problems? If so, what are they? China has a very mature and comprehensive system to foster leadershipWhat are your expectations for the upcoming 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China? What are the key issues you care about most? I think China loves peace more than some of the developed countries

In recent years, I have received numerous awards from the Chinese governmentAnd she has brought even more students from South Korea to China

By comparing these figures, Pew seems to suggest that China and the US are engaging in a popularity contest in the PhilippinesMeanwhile, two-thirds say having a strong economic relationship with China is more important for ties between the two nations, while only 28 percent say being tough with China on territorial disputes is more vitalFully 86 percent have a favorable view of Duterte himself; 78 percent support his handling of the illegal-drugs issue; and 62 percent say that the Philippines government is making progress in its anti-drug campaignThat was certainly not the policy under Obama when he launched the US pivot-to-Asia policy, trying to gang up US allies on China

And on global economic status, about half of Filipinos (49 percent) say that the US is still the leading economic power, but that is down from 66 percent who said so in 2015But Filipinos also share positive views of China and its leader, President Xi Jinping

Since becoming Philippines president in June 2016, Rodrigo Duterte has refused to be used by the US to advance its strategyHowever, the Pew survey finds that Duterte and his policies are widely popular at home despite concerns expressed by some governments, in particular the US, over Duterte's clashes with drug cartels and alleged human rights violations

In 2014, the Philippines was still led by Aquino IIIThis represents a dramatic shift since that question was last asked in 2015