Forest report produces tombstone blues

THE WORLD WIDE FUND FOR NATURE has published the first-ever global assessment of forest biodiversity, titled "Below the Canopy", which shows that monitored forest-dwelling wildlife populations have shrunk by more than half between 1970 and 2014, the most recent year for which data are available. China Daily writer Zhang Zhouxiang comments:

Negative bond yields would be sign of stagnation

Editor's note: Alan Greenspan, former chairman of the US Federal Reserve Board, said in a recent interview that international arbitrage in the bond market was helping push down long-term yields on US treasury bonds, asserting that nothing can prevent the United States from sliding into negative bond yields. 21st Century Business Herald comments:

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Realty sector won't be used to boost growth

The recent meeting of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, which focused on China's economic work in the latter half of the year, reiterated that houses are for living in, not for speculation, and emphasized continued efforts are required to build a long-term mechanism for the real estate sector.

The planet is burning, but not all hope is lost

This has not happened in thousands of years. This is not global warming. This is global scorching. And the worst is yet to come.

Western reporters covering HK protesters need a reality check

The gruesome scene of Fu Guohao, a Global Times reporter, being searched, tied up, humiliated and beaten up by Hong Kong protesters, or more precisely a mob, on Tuesday was broadcast live by many Western news channels.

US politicians' tweets expose their ugly hypocrisy and malice

By whitewashing violence as a struggle for democracy and deliberately misinterpreting the work of Hong Kong police, some US politicians are clearly encouraging criminal acts in the Chinese metropolis and meddling in China's internal affairs.

Japan still has time to atone for crime

THURSDAY MARKS THE 74TH ANNIVERSARY OF JAPAN'S UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER at the end of World War II. The day before is "Comfort Women Day", and on Wednesday we remembered these victims of Japanese aggression, comments China Daily writer Zhang Zhouxiang:

Consistency required in trade talks

The Sino-US trade spat, which started more than a year ago, has never been short of twists and turns, thanks to a series of about-faces by the US administration.

Expanded occupational diseases list must balance interests of all parties

ACCORDING TO A RECENT MEETING of the Healthy China Action Plan Promotion Committee, cervical spondylosis, periarthritis of the shoulder, backache, hyperostosis and sciatica will not be included on the list of occupational diseases, which means workers will have to pay for treatment themselves. Beijing Youth Daily comments:

Region ready to realize shared vision

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Ministerial Meeting held in Beijing on Aug 2-3, along with the 27th round of RCEP negotiations in Zhengzhou, Central China's Henan province, on July 22-30, has helped make some important breakthroughs.

Xinjiang will not be allowed to be like Afghanistan

Editor's note: Obidov Mukhammad Dalimovich, a journalist from Uzbekistan, recently paid a visit to a vocational education and training center in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region where he talked with interviewees and recorded his feelings of Xinjiang and the center. Excerpts: