Covariant density functional theory for exotic nuclei near the neutron drip-line

The covariant density functional theory with a few number of parameters allows a very successful description of ground-state and excited-state properties for nuclei all over the nuclear chart. The recent progress on the covariant density functional theory and its applications for nuclear structure and astrophysics as well as extensions by the Beijing group and collaborators are summarized. In particular, the halos in exotic nuclei are discussed in details.