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☆ Chinese court starts hearing lawsuits against Malaysia Airlines over missing flight MH370
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Jiang Hui speaks with CNN in an interview in Beijing on November 21, 2023, days before a Chinese court began hearing lawsuits over the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. All of them are international companies headquartered outside China, though Malaysia Airlines, Boeing and Roll-Royce have offices in China. In Malaysia, two young boys who lost their father on the flight sued Malaysia Airlines for breach of contract and the Malaysian government for negligence in 2014. In China, families who signed a settlement agreement with Malaysian Airlines received 2.5 million yuan ($350,000) in compensation. Only a few dozen Chinese families signed initially, but over the years more have opted to settle.

Persons: Jiang Hui, Jiang Cuiyun, MH370, Jiang, ” Jiang, Royce, Covid, “, ”, – Organizations: Beijing CNN —, Malaysia Airlines Flight, CNN, Court, Maylasia Airlines, Boeing, Malaysia Airlines, Allianz, Rolls, Malaysian, Malaysian Airlines Locations: China, Beijing, Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Chaoyang District, United States, Africa, Australia, Mauritius, Madagascar

HONG KONG (AP) — Shoppers in China have been tightening their purse strings, raising questions over how faltering consumer confidence may affect Saturday's annual Singles’ Day online retail extravaganza. Singles Day, also known as “Double 11,” was popularized by e-commerce giant Alibaba. Shoppers spent $38 billion in 24 hours on Alibaba’s e-commerce platforms during Singles’ Day in 2019. “The hype and excitement around Singles’ Day is sort of over," said Shaun Rein, founder and managing director of Shanghai-based China Market Research Group. “I just feel that people don’t spend as much as before, possibly because they don’t have much to spend,” she said.

Persons: ”, Shi Gengchen, Shi, Shaun Rein, Rein, keener, Hu Min, Alibaba’s Tmall, ” Jacob Cooke, ” Cooke, Yu Bing Organizations: — Shoppers, Bain & Company, Shoppers, China Market Research, Consumers, WPIC Locations: HONG KONG, China, Chaoyang, COVID, Shanghai, Shijiazhuang, China's Hebei, China's, Beijing

CNN —A young Chinese woman who was arrested after attending a peaceful protest against Covid-19 restrictions in Beijing last year has been released alongside several of her friends after four months in police custody, according to a source familiar with their situation. Cao was released Wednesday evening, according to a source with direct knowledge. Three of her friends who were detained around the same time in December were also released, according to the source, who learned of their situation through mutual friends. Under Chinese law, the two others released alongside Cao would also likely have been formally charged to remain in custody until Wednesday, though CNN has not confirmed their charges. Two others in the group were released on bail in January, CNN confirmed at the time, while two more were released in February, according to the source familiar with the situation of those released this week.

Li's predicament underscores challenges for China's economically crucial services sector as it bets on a post-COVID revival. With the virus spreading unchecked across the country now, representatives from the services sector say frequent lockdowns have left them without money to expand. "There is still a shortage of labour in the services sector in the big cities, and the loss of productivity is quite obvious," said Dan Wang, chief economist at Hang Seng Bank China. CONSUMPTION REVIVALRetail sales, a key gauge of consumption, dropped 5.9% in November from a year earlier, and catering fell by 8.4% amid broad-based weakness in the services sector. Some in the service sector say there remains some hope.

[1/4] Women wearing face masks and face shields talk on a street, as coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreaks continue in Shanghai, China, December 12, 2022. Reuters witnessed similar queues outside clinics in the central city of Wuhan, where COVID-19 first emerged three years ago. But the figures reflect the dropping of testing requirements, say analysts, while Chinese health expects have warned of an imminent surge. Yet China is pushing ahead with efforts to free up nationwide travel, even if foreign trips may still be a while off. The number of domestic flights available across China exceeded 7,400, nearly double from a week ago, flight tracker app VariFlight showed.

☆ China's economy will pick up pace following new COVID rules: CCTV cites Premier Li
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FILE PHOTO: People walk across a street during morning rush hour, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in the Central Business District (CBD) in Chaoyang District, Beijing, China November 21, 2022. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo(Change the number of meetings in last paragraph from one to multiple)BEIJING (Reuters) - China’s economic growth will keep picking up pace with the implementation of the newly-announced anti-COVID adjustment measures, state media CCTV quoted Premier Li Keqiang as saying on Thursday. China will also keep the yuan exchange rate basically stable, and this is also conducive to safeguarding global supply chain stability, CCTV said. Li made the remarks during meetings with World Bank President David Malpass, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, CCTV said. (This story has been refiled to change the number of meetings in last paragraph from one to multiple.)

[1/4] People wearing masks line up outside a pharmacy to buy products as coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreaks continue in Beijing, China December 6, 2022. China may announce 10 new national easing measures as early as Wednesday, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. So, because right now in Chaoyang district cases are quite high, it is better to stock up on some medicines," he said. In the latest incident, videos posted on Twitter showed university students chanting protest slogans against COVID policies on their campus in Nanjing city. The uneven nature of the easing measures and varying interpretation of the rules from city to city has been an ongoing source of frustration for many people and businesses.

CNN —China’s vast security apparatus has moved swiftly to smother mass protests that swept the country, with police patrolling streets, checking cell phones and even calling some demonstrators to warn them against a repeat. While protests over local grievances do occur in China, the current wave of demonstrations is the most widespread since the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy movement of 1989. Some of the boldest protests took place in Shanghai, where crowds called for Xi’s removal two nights in a row. Police cars patrol Shanghai's Urumqi Road, which has been completely blocked off by tall barricades after a weekend of protests. Another Shanghai protester told CNN they were among “around 80 to 110” people detained by police on Saturday night, adding they were released 24 hours later.

☆ Pop star Kris Wu sentenced to 13 years of jail for rape in China
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Hannah Lee | Kriti Gandhi | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

A court in Beijing on Friday, sentenced Chinese-born Canadian musician Kris Wu to over 13 years for crimes including rape. Chaoyang district court found Wu, also known as Wu Yifan, guilty of raping three women in November and December 2020, according to the court’s official Weibo account. Wu was also found guilty of “group licentiousness,” which is when three or more people are gathered together to to engage in sexual promiscuity. Being charged for group licentiousness can result in a jail sentence of up to five years. Some also said that they were “witnessing history” as Kris Wu is the first idol in China to be imprisoned for as long as 13 years.

☆ China sentences Canadian pop star Kris Wu to 13 years for rape
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, Nov 25 (Reuters) - A Beijing court on Friday sentenced Chinese-born Canadian pop star Kris Wu to 13 years in jail after finding him guilty of crimes including rape. The court in Beijing's Chaoyang District said investigations showed that from November to December 2020, the man also known as Wu Yifan raped three women. The court also said Wu would be deported, although lawyers in China have said deportations typically take place after a defendant serves their sentence. Officials from the Canadian embassy in Beijing attended the sentencing, according to state media. The Canadian embassy did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

☆ Shanghai cancels auto event as rising COVID cases add to reopening worries
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The rise in cases is testing China's resolve to stick to recent tweaks recently made to its COVID rules, putting pressure on local authorities to stamp outbreaks without one-size-fits-all measures such as mass lockdowns. Chengdu, with 428 cases on Tuesday, became the latest city to announce mass testing from Nov. 23 to Nov. 27. The capital Beijing, where 1,486 cases breached another daily high, was largely a ghost town with malls, restaurants and parks staying shut. RISING CASES, MASS TESTING - AGAINWhile China's infection numbers are low by global standards, the country continues to stick with its outlier zero-COVID approach, fuelling widespread public frustration and inflicting damage on the world's second-largest economy. Reporting by Beijing and Shanghai newsrooms; Writing by Bernard Orr; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Miral FahmyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Several Beijing districts shut schools as China COVID cases rise
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

China is fighting numerous COVID-19 flare ups, from Zhengzhou in central Henan province to Chongqing in the southwest and for Sunday reported 26,824 new local cases, nearing April's peaks. It also recorded two deaths in Beijing, up from one on Saturday, which was China's first since late May. It also suspended dine-in services and shut night clubs and theatres in Tianhe, home to the city's main business district. This sparked worry among some local residents. The capital Beijing reported 962 new infections, up from 621 a day earlier.

☆ Beijing's Chaoyang district urges residents to stay home Monday
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BEIJING, Nov 20 (Reuters) - An official of Beijing's Chaoyang district on Sunday urged residents to remain at home on Monday, as a continued rise in COVID-19 infections tests China's strict containment policy. Chaoyang district is the capital's worst hit in the fresh COVID wave. People had been advised by local government to stay put during the weekend, with numerous restaurants, gyms, beauty salons and other facilities closed. An 87-year-old Beijing man died on Saturday, mainland China's first COVID fatality since late May. Reporting by Sophie Yu, Tony Munroe; Editing by William MallardOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China COVID cases steady as many Beijing businesses, schools shut
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Authorities also said an 87-year-old Beijing man became the nation's first official COVID-19 fatality since May 26, raising China's coronavirus death toll to 5,227. China continues to reiterate its commitment to zero-COVID-19, a signature policy of President Xi Jinping that the central government argues saves lives. In the latest tallies, Beijing city reported 621 new infections for Saturday, up from 515 a day earlier. Guangzhou, a southern city of nearly 19 million people, reported 8,434 new locally transmitted infections, down from 8,713 a day earlier. The southwestern metropolis of Chongqing reported 4,710 new locally transmitted infections, compared with 4,744 a day earlier.

☆ China reports 24,473 new COVID cases; some Beijing businesses shut
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Numerous businesses in Beijing's Chaoyang district, the capital's main business and diplomatic area, have shut or announced only limited services. Beijing reported 79 symptomatic and 436 asymptomatic cases for Friday, down from 100 symptomatic and 366 asymptomatic cases the previous day, government data showed. Nationwide, the authorities reported 24,263 daily domestically transmitted cases, of which 2,055 were symptomatic and 22,208 were asymptomatic, down from 25,129 the previous day. Guangzhou, a city in the south of nearly 19 million people, reported 269 new domestically transmitted symptomatic cases and 8,444 asymptomatic cases, compared with 255 symptomatic and 8,989 asymptomatic cases a day before, authorities said. The manufacturing hub of Zhengzhou reported 182 new symptomatic locally transmitted COVID infections and 1,385 asymptomatic cases, compared with 107 symptomatic and 1,556 asymptomatic cases a day before, according to government data.

"It would become a testing point regarding the government’s determination to push for the relaxation of COVID control measures," they said. China reported 17,772 new local COVID-19 infections for Nov. 14, up from 16,072 new cases a day earlier and the most since April, with major cities including Chongqing and Zhengzhou among the worst-hit. On Monday, Beijing's most populous district of Chaoyang, where most of its cases are located, moved some testing sites closer to residential compounds. On Tuesday, state broadcaster CCTV said Chaoyang district was adding more testing sites, including near office buildings. Under China's new rules, testing efforts are to be more targeted, easing what has been a significant financial burden on cities.

☆ China's COVID infections reach peak since late April
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The National Health Commission reported 11,950 new COVID-19 infections for the previous day, of which 1,504 were symptomatic and 10,446 were asymptomatic. That compares with 10,729 new cases a day earlier – 1,209 symptomatic and 9,520 asymptomatic infections, which China counts separately. Excluding imported infections, China reported 11,803 new local cases, of which 1,452 were symptomatic and 10,351 were asymptomatic, up from 10,535 a day earlier. Beijing, the capital, reported 68 symptomatic and 48 asymptomatic cases, versus 64 symptomatic and 54 asymptomatic ones the previous day, local government data showed. The high-end SKP shopping mall in the capital's sprawling Chaoyang district, said it was closed on Saturday for COVID control and prevention measures.

☆ China reaffirms zero-COVID stance, city of Guangzhou on edge
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Tony Munroe | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/3] A boy gets tested for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at a nucleic acid testing site, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Shanghai, China, November 9, 2022. "As things stand, it is hard to tell whether Guangzhou will repeat the experience of Shanghai in spring this year. If Guangzhou repeats what Shanghai did in spring, it will lead to a new round of pessimism on China," Nomura analysts wrote in a Thursday note. Mason Long, who works for a Guangzhou gaming company, said some residents were bracing for a lockdown, with many leaving the city or planning to. BE MORE TARGETEDIn Beijing, residents of some areas have been asked to get COVID tests every day this week.

☆ Exclusive: Former U.S. military pilot arrested in Australia listed same Beijing address as Chinese hacker
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

The Beijing address is listed in Australian company filings for the pilot and a U.S. blacklisting for the Chinese businessman, however, it was unclear whether they used the Beijing address at the same time. Another aviation source said Duggan went to Beijing to work with Stephen Su, also known as Su Bin in China. When Reuters visited the Beijing address this week the reporter was told it was a residential building and denied entry. Under Australia's extradition treaty with the United States, an extradition request must be made within 60 days of arrest. Robert Anello, the lawyer who represented Su Bin in the 2014 hacking case, declined to comment and Su Bin could not be reached for comment.

☆ EXCLUSIVE Former U.S. military pilot arrested in Australia listed same Beijing address as Chinese hacker -documents
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

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