Peking University and Tsinghua University, the top two universities in China, recently accused each other of "stealing" the best performers in the national college entrance exam via "abusive" social media messages. Both universities later deleted the abusive comments and pledged to conduct their student enrollment in a civilized manner. Comments:

The root cause of the disgraceful war of words between two leading universities is the flawed recruitment system. To put an end to the cut-throat competition, universities should be given the right to conduct real independent recruitment, which is not merely based on admission scores. More, administrative power should also be banned from interfering in the recruitment process, in order to curb rent-seeking and protect the credibility of China's higher education.

Southern Metropolis Daily, June 29