The voice of the youth should be heard, especially in these times when the global landscape is changing at a rapid pace. True, while some young people have chosen to "lie flat", opting out of the race to build a better career, most youths are still striving for a better life and are becoming the main force in global communication in the era of social media.

The friendship between the island country of Sri Lanka and China has been nurtured through the maritime Silk Road for centuries. Today, the two countries have close relations in economic and cultural fields.

The concept of "micro-tourism" or "micro-vacation", which comes from the tourism industry, may not be new, but micro-tourism seems to have become a trend in recent years.

After the second round of the French presidential election on June 24, President Emmanuel Macron was re-elected for a second term of five years. He won 58.54 percent of the votes against Marine Le Pen's 41.46 percent.

The fifth wave of the COVID-19 outbreaks in Hong Kong is fading, with daily confirmed cases and deaths in decline. And it should be noted that the central authorities' aid plays a very important role in helping the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in its fight against the novel coronavirus.

China's pledge to peak its carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060 is just one example of its determination to strengthen international cooperation in the fight against climate change.

In his keynote speech at the United Nations Global Sustainable Transport Conference in October, President Xi Jinping stressed the need for a green transition in all aspects of economic and social development.

The resurgence of the novel coronavirus has prompted authorities to restrict people's movement in many places. Many people in some provinces and cities, for instance, have been staying at home for some time now. The more than two years of the pandemic prevention and control measures have also had some psychological effects on the people, increasing the need for better mental health services.

Although it is important to take strict prevention and control measures, including implementing lockdowns if needed, to contain the resurgence of the novel coronavirus, especially the more contagious Omicron variant, it is equally important for local governments to ensure the measures have the minimum effect on economic activity.

Several Chinese cities and provinces are facing a novel coronavirus resurgence, with strict pandemic prevention and control measures, even lockdowns if necessary, being implemented in places where infection rates are abnormally high. Against this background, proper disposal of waste can help prevent the spread of the virus and contribute to the success of the dynamic clearing policy.

Editor's note: The resurgence of the novel coronavirus in some cities in China has prompted the authorities to implement strict pandemic prevention and control measures, even lockdowns if needed, which could affect economic activities. What should the authorities do to minimize the impact of anti-pandemic measures on economic development? Three experts share their views on the issue with China Daily.

The COVID-19 pandemic has not only claimed more than 6 million lives worldwide but also tested governments' ability to tackle the health crisis. In China, however, the impact of the pandemic has been disproportionately severe on the elderly people due to the rising aging population in the country.

To boost the economy, the first priority is to prevent infections. And China's dynamic clearing policy has proven highly effective in this regard.

By improving the express delivery service system, the authorities can ensure the smooth flow of production factors and strengthen the supply and industry chains, and thus accelerate the construction of a unified national market.

Will you go to the movies during the upcoming May Day holiday? This is really a difficult question amid a resurgence of COVID-19 in many cities.

After two years of the COVID-19 crisis wreaking havoc across the world, the conflict in Ukraine will cause even more harm to the global economy.

Editor's Note: The State Council Information Office of China on Thursday published a white paper titled "Youth of China in the New Era". Following is the full text:

Since Friday many social platforms including popular video apps Douyin (known as TikTok abroad) and Kuaishou have announced that they plan to make locations of users’ IP addresses public on the users’ pages after a customary dry run.

China's GDP grew 4.8 percent in the first quarter of this year despite the pressures of a complicated and grimmer international environment and rising COVID-19 infections in some places, the National Bureau of Statistics said on Monday.

Food prices and global food security are currently under enormous stress.

The annual conference of the Boao Forum for Asia, to be held from Wednesday to Friday, at Boao, Hainan province, will focus on how the world should work together to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and build a shared future. As usual, Asia will be in the spotlight, especially because the region regained economic strength in 2021, thanks to the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, gradual opening-up, and continuous supportive macroeconomic policies.

The US Interior Department on Friday said it's moving forward with the first onshore sales of public oil and natural gas drilling leases under US President Joe Biden. The announcement comes as Republicans pressure President Biden to expand US crude production and rein in higher gasoline prices contributing to record inflation.

The government's guidelines for accelerating the building of a unified national market are aimed at ending local protectionism and unifying the fragmented market to remove the key hurdles to economic growth. This is part of a wide-ranging push for an effectively regulated, competitive and fully open market across the country.

Since early March, another wave of the COVID-19 infections has hit many Chinese cities including Changchun, Shenzhen and Shanghai. In response, local authorities have adopted strict measures to contain the outbreaks. In fact, many cities, despite not being seriously hit by the latest outbreaks, have tightened their prevention and control measures.

China set an ambitious GDP growth target of 5.5 percent for 2022 at the annual session of the National People's Congress in March. The target is broadly in line with our (Standard Chartered Bank's) forecast of 5.3 percent growth.

Editor's note: The Chinese economy faces severe challenges because the wave of the COVID-19 infections could lower GDP growth. Many provinces and cities have intensified efforts to contain the outbreaks while ensuring the measures have minimum effect on the economy and people's livelihoods. Will these efforts achieve the desired results? Four experts share their views on the issue with China Daily.

Mauritius, an island nation in the Indian Ocean, has played a significant role in the development of civilizations by linking China, the Indian subcontinent, Iran, Arab countries, Europe and the Horn of Africa, and facilitating long-distance political and economic relations between different civilizations for nearly two centuries. No wonder Mauritius is called the “Star and Key of the Indian Ocean”.

China’s top leader first mentioned the overall national security concept at the first meeting of the National Security Commission of the Communist Party of China on Apr 15, 2014. Over the past eight years the concept has been continuously developed and implemented in various fields, and China’s national security has been comprehensively strengthened.

The risks to nuclear security have increased with the continuation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The above extract from The Little Prince describes good seeds and bad seeds but in essence tells the history of the novel coronavirus, the Omicron variant in particular, and how to destroy it, which is exactly what China's dynamic clearing policy is all about.

The massive tax rebate policy has been implemented nationwide since April 1. The record-high scale of this round of tax and fee reductions is a measure of China's economic capability and political determination to overcome the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and meet the challenges of a new round of geopolitical competition.

The results of the general elections in 10 European countries including Germany in 2021 kept the balance of political ecology in Europe, but tilted a little toward the left. But due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Germany's policies have shown some deflections with the new government even raising old security and energy issues. As a result, Germany has significantly increased its defense budget, and appears to rely more on NATO and diversify its energy sources.

The ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict is expected to further rock global food markets.

After two years of human devastation, the world is learning to live with COVID-19 while trying to balance the protection of public health and livelihoods.

India's foreign and defense ministers will travel to Washington and Tokyo next week to revive their "2+2 dialogues" with the United States and Japan. In Washington, India's Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh will hold talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and in Tokyo they will meet with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi.

History has shown that some of the most dangerous periods of pandemics come when life returns to normal too soon. A century ago, a premature "all clear" helped the second wave of the 1918 Flu Pandemic claim far more lives than the first, after a more virulent strain emerged. Today, many G7 and G20 countries are relaxing COVID-19 restrictions and shifting their focus away from pandemic response to pandemic prevention and preparedness (or to other issues entirely). But until every country achieves its national vaccination target, we cannot know whether we are out of the woods.

History has shown that some of the most dangerous periods of pandemics come when life returns to normal too soon.

The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released the third part of its Sixth Assessment Report on Monday.

The COVID-19 outbreaks have prompted local governments to implement stricter prevention and control measures, including lockdowns, in some metropolises such as Shanghai and Shenzhen, and some places in western and northeastern China.

Innovative digital tools including health codes and itinerary codes have played a key role in China's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fast-growing companies and start-ups were once the preserve of Silicon Valley and Seattle. No longer.

The need for real, lasting climate solutions has never been more urgent. Will 2022 be the year when we reach a tipping point for climate action?

To contain the spread of the highly infectious Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus, an increasing number of Chinese cities have taken strict prevention and control measures including implementing phased lockdowns. That has added to the problems of the already struggling micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.

With spring in full bloom in most parts of the country and temperatures rising, gradually, many people are dying to hit the road during the upcoming Qingming Festival holiday from April 3 to 5 and May Day holiday from April 30 to May 4. But due to the resurgence of COVID-19 infections, most prefer going on short trips.

The global food system faces significant risks and threats that could disrupt the food supply chains, and cause massive economic loss to food producers and consumers, and other players in the food sector.

In the past decade, the People's Republic of China has grown enormously in economic strength and global stature.

Editor's Note: Four decades of reform and opening-up have not only turned China into the world's second-biggest economy but also changed Chinese people's way of life. A veteran journalist with China Daily takes a look at how the Chinese people's way of greeting and addressing each other has changed over the past four decades.

The 13th of March marked the 50th anniversary of ambassadorial diplomatic relations between China and the UK. As the tenth Chinese ambassador to the United Kingdom, I wish to share some personal perspectives on the relationship.

The world has been in a state of permanent crisis for the last two years, during which pre-existing polarization has exacerbated. And the COVID-19 pandemic has dealt a serious blow to economies across the world, and is testing globalization itself.

The leaders of China and the European Union are expected to hold a virtual summit any time soon, which could become a new hallmark for relationships in these turbulent international times.

The meeting between State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in New Delhi on Friday is seen as a rare window of opportunity for the two sides to put bilateral relations back on track.

Digitalization is often described as a trend－one happening across many industries and locations, but a trend nonetheless. This suggests digital transformation is a line of development, a currently popular growth method that may one day be replaced with the next best thing. But, in reality, digitalization is much bigger than that. It's the only way forward.

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement, which has been in effect since Jan 1, can only have a positive outcome on trade and cultural exchanges among the participating members.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had the most devastating impact on the international airline industry. The debilitating impact stretches beyond passenger aviation into air cargo and airports.

The fifth wave of COVID-19 infections in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has created new challenges for the city's prevention and control system and its ability to appropriately respond to the public health crisis.

A majority of Western countries and their allies have criticized Russia for ordering the special military operation in Ukraine and taken every possible measure to contain Russia, except directly participating in the conflict against Moscow. These developments have put India, which traditionally has had friendly relations with Russia but in recent years has been warming up to the United States, in a dilemma.

The ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict has roiled commodity markets and threatens global food security.

Four decades of reform and opening-up have not only turned China into the world's second-largest economy but also changed its people's way of life. A veteran journalist with China Daily tries to find out why sharing is so deep-rooted in Chinese culture.

In terms of geopolitical impact, nothing could be more important than the United States' shift from strategic cooperation to strategic competition with China. This change has darkened many observers' views of China's economic prospects, as indicated by a Bruegel report released late last year.

The latest wave of infections and the Russia-Ukraine conflict have created new challenges for China's economy. How will China overcome the challenges?

The year 2020 was a milestone in the political history of the United Kingdom. Following a long period of turmoil, the UK withdrew from the European Union, dramatically changing the fabric of European society, in general, and British society, in particular.

China has announced that it would aim to peak its carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060, which is an important commitment to align the country's emissions targets with the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties' global agenda to reduce the risks of climate change.

The United States' decision to punish the Taliban by freezing $7 billion of the Afghan central bank's assets after they assumed power following the fall of the Ashraf Ghani government shocked people both at home and abroad, especially because the political upheaval in Afghanistan has led to mass starvation and unemployment.

A vast number of private enterprises, especially private small and medium-sized enterprises, have been hit hard by the sporadic but frequent COVID-19 outbreaks and suffered the consequences of the strict measures taken to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The year 2022 marks the second anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic, and while an end to the pandemic is in sight, it is far from over and the consequences will be felt for decades to come. At the same time, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is becoming increasingly distant. Asia and the Pacific region must use the 17 Sustainable Development Goals as a road map to a fairer recovery.