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Recently, an imposture was discovered on the list of 2005's "Top 100 Chinese catering enterprises". The Ministry of Commerce announced that there may have been some flaws in the procedure to select the enterprises and it would not take part in the offering of such honors again in the future.

Now we will have a look at what the media is saying about that.

Reporter:

An article from Dahe Daily says it’s the right decision. It calls on all government departments to stay away from activities bestowing honors to brand names or enterprises. Many examples demonstrate that using administrative power in such a way in what's relatively a market system is behavior that has caused problems and misled consumers. For instance, a seriously polluting factory was honored as one of the "Chinese reputed productions". The article further points out, when government departments are involved in these activities, they are no longer the impartial supervisor of the power of the market. To be on the name brand lists, some companies also have made great efforts in public relations, which provide chances for the related administrative departments to abuse their power. So the writer wants all government departments to quit giving all honors and pass that work to the purely intermediary institutions in the market. Only in this way, the fairness and justice of such activities can be ensured.

Meanwhile, Guangzhou Daily carries a comment warning that the Ministry of Commerce's dropout from the selection process might mean the government's duty will be un-fulfilled. It says the Ministry of Commerce has very clear responsibilities that are to regulate, supervise and provide public service. As a supervisor, the ministry needs to inquire public opinions to see if the "Top 100 Catering Enterprises" selection is necessary. If the activity is unnecessary, the Ministry of Commerce should make suggestions to stop it. If it is necessary, the ministry has to publish relative rules and supervise the whole process effectively. Otherwise, there will be more and more problems in such a selection process and the credibility and authority of the market will be ruined. Which means, not only the reputation of the Ministry of Commerce, but also the consumer interests will be badly damaged.