Together, three neighbors can better promote free trade in Asia

THE 15TH ROUND OF NEGOTIATIONS AMONG CHINA, Japan and the Republic of Korea on a free trade agreement was held in Tokyo last week. Zhong Sheng, a columnist for People's Daily, comments:

Japan's population drop a drag on growth

OFFICIAL DATA from Japan show that the Japanese population declined for the eighth consecutive year in 2018. China Youth Daily comments:

Northeast rust belt needs new lease on life

Editor's note: Without warning, Hegang, a little-known border city in Heilongjiang province, has become a catchword on social media for its low housing price - a 70-square-meter apartment costs about 20,000 yuan ($2,982), which is not enough to buy half a square meter of housing in the center of big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. China Daily reporter Li Yang comments:

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Balance pension fund with growing needs

The Pension Fund Actuarial Report 2019-2050, prepared by the Center for International Social Security Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and released on April 10, has drawn wide public concern. The report, China's first actuarial report on the pension fund, focuses on the old-age pension fund, especially because Premier Li Keqiang said in this year's Government Work Report that the share borne by employers for urban workers' aged-care insurance will be lowered.

An intriguing encounter at Mar-a-Lago

A gate-crasher to the heavily commercialized Mar-a-Lago presidential residence in Florida tells the guards she's going for a swim but she turns out to be carrying four phones, two passports and a twitchy memory stick, but no bathing suit. This alone is enough to make the caper at Mar-a-Lago sound like the intriguing introduction to a Hollywood film noir, and in a way, it is.

BRI will clear doubts as it progresses

Editor's Note: Doubts have again been raised over the Belt and Road Initiative's goals, with some calling it a "debt trap" for participating countries and China's "geopolitical expansion tool". Why are anti-China elements using such ploys to malign China? And will they see reason once the Belt and Road Initiative starts yielding fruitful results for the participating countries? Two experts share their views on the issue with China Daily's Pan Yixuan. Excerpts follow:

Grief over Notre Dame shows value of cultural heritage

While there are no doubt exceptions, most people are saddened by the misfortune that befell Notre Dame Cathedral on Monday evening.

Kids should be encouraged to explore wonders of books

Many people around the world know of an old Spanish knight tilting at windmills and the blood of guilt that a Scottish noblewoman cannot wipe from her hands. Although written with quills hundreds of years ago such scenes still speak to us today amid the incessant barrage of instantly forgettable images and text.

Resettlement housing must be fit for purpose - namely living in

ACCORDING TO MEDIA REPORTS, newly built houses for some relocated residents in Mianchi county, Henan province, Sangzhi county, Hunan province, and other places have quality problems that may pose safety risks to the occupants. Li Sihui, a media commentator at Guangming Daily, says:

Ivory trade no longer elephant in corner

AT A NEWS CONFERENCE ON MONDAY, the General Administration of Customs said that it had confiscated 7.48 tons of ivory and smashed a smuggling chain. China Daily writer Zhang Zhouxiang comments:

Pompeo's remarks show Washington has lost the plot

Editor's note: In his interview with local media on Saturday, Xu Bu, China's ambassador to Chile, rebuked US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for the views he expressed on China during his visit to Santiago the day before. Excerpts: