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☆ China's cities battle first wave of COVID surge as wider spread looms
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

China is currently in the first of an expected three waves of COVID cases this winter, according to the country's chief epidemiologist, Wu Zunyou. China reported some 2,097 new symptomatic COVID infections on Dec. 17. In Beijing, the spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant has already hit services from catering to parcel deliveries. A third wave of cases would run from late February to mid-March as people returned to work after the holiday, Wu said. He said those in the community that are vulnerable should be protected, while recommending booster vaccines for the general public.

☆ Russian and Chinese strategic bombers conduct joint patrols in Asia
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Russian and Chinese strategic warplanes, including Tupolev-95 long-range "Bear" bombers, conducted joint patrols over the Sea of Japan and East China Sea, the Russian defence ministry said on Wednesday. South Korea's military said earlier that it scrambled fighter jets as two Chinese and six Russian warplanes entered its air defence zone. Russia's defence ministry said that "at certain stages of the route, strategic missile carriers were accompanied by fighters of foreign states." "An air group consisting of Tu-95MC strategic missile carriers of the Russian Aerospace Forces and strategic bombers XIAN H-6K of the PLA Air Force carried out air patrols over the waters of the Japanese and East China Seas," the ministry said. It said Russian and Chinese aircraft "acted strictly in accordance with the provisions of international law" and that no foreign airspace was violated.

☆ Factbox: A chronology of dissent in China in recent decades
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( James Pomfret | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The following is a timeline of some other notable protests, and public dissent against China's ruling Communist Party. 2009 - Xinjiang - In the region's worst ethnic unrest in decades, ethnic Uighurs attacked majority Han Chinese in the capital Urumqi, after an incident involving Uighur workers in a factory in southern China. China later builds massive "facilities" to turn Xinjiang into what a United Nations panel described as a "massive internment camp shrouded in secrecy". China later imposes a powerful national security law, arresting scores of democrats and shutting down civil society groups and liberal media outlets, including the Apple Daily newspaper. 2022 - Henan bank protests - Public protests simmer as thousands lose access to their savings in a banking fraud scandal centred on rural lenders in Henan and Anhui provinces.

☆ Blank sheets of paper become symbol of defiance in China protests
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

In Shanghai, a crowd that started gathering late on Saturday to hold a candlelight vigil for the Urumqi victims held up blank sheets of paper, according to witnesses and videos. Other images showed dozens of other people subsequently taking to the university's steps with blank sheets of paper，illuminated against the night sky by flashlights from their mobile phones. In Hong Kong in 2020, activists also raised blank sheets of white paper in protest to avoid slogans banned under the city's new national security law, which was imposed after massive and sometimes violent protests the previous year. Several Internet users showed solidarity by posting blank white squares or photos of themselves holding blank sheets of paper on their WeChat timelines or on Weibo. By Sunday morning, the hashtag "white paper exercise" was blocked on Weibo, prompting users to lament the censorship.

☆ China reports new daily record COVID cases, curbs tighten across country
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SHANGHAI, Nov 25 (Reuters) - China on Friday reported another record high of daily COVID-19 infections, as cities across the country enforce measures and curbs to control outbreaks. Excluding imported infections, China reported 32,695 new local cases on Thursday, of which 3,041 were symptomatic and 29,654 were asymptomatic, up from 31,444 a day earlier. China's capital, Beijing, reported 424 symptomatic and 1,436 asymptomatic cases on Thursday, compared with 509 symptomatic and 1,139 asymptomatic cases the previous day, local government data showed. Financial hub Shanghai reported nine symptomatic cases and 77 asymptomatic cases on Thursday, compared with nine symptomatic cases and 58 asymptomatic cases a day before, the local health authority reported. Chongqing reported 258 new symptomatic locally transmitted COVID-19 infections and 6,242 asymptomatic cases for Thursday, compared with 409 symptomatic and 7,437 asymptomatic cases the previous day, local government authorities said.

☆ Anwar Ibrahim Becomes Malaysia’s Prime Minister After Tumultuous Political Journey
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Feliz Solomon | Ying Xian Wong | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—Longtime opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was sworn in as Malaysia’s prime minister, capping his decadeslong quest for the top job and ending a scramble by opposing political coalitions to shore up support after elections last week failed to produce a clear winner. Mr. Anwar’s rise to the premiership comes after a tumultuous career in which he was imprisoned twice, then came close to the role a few years ago after teaming up with his mentor-turned-nemesis. His government will now have to contend with a divided electorate, a fragile economic recovery and the rise of an ultraconservative Islamist movement that allied with his rivals during the election.

☆ Anwar Ibrahim Appointed Malaysia’s Prime Minister After Tumultuous Political Journey
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Feliz Solomon | Ying Xian Wong | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—Longtime opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim is due to be sworn in as Malaysia’s prime minister, capping his decadeslong quest for the top job and ending a scramble by opposing political coalitions to shore up support after elections last week failed to produce a clear winner. Mr. Anwar’s rise to the premiership comes after a tumultuous career in which he was imprisoned twice, then came close to the role a few years ago after teaming up with his mentor-turned-nemesis. His government will now have to contend with a divided electorate, a fragile economic recovery and the rise of an ultraconservative Islamist movement that allied with his rivals during the election.

☆ Malaysia Goes to the Polls After Years of Political Instability
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Feliz Solomon | Ying Xian Wong | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—Millions of voters are headed to the polls for national elections that were called early in an effort to end political instability that led to two leadership changes in as many years, with several shaky rival coalitions fighting to firm up their power. The polls are the first since a historic vote in 2018 when the party that had ruled the Southeast Asian country since its independence in 1957 was defeated following a multibillion-dollar corruption scandal. That outcome raised hopes for cleaner and more democratic governance, but optimism faded as political infighting hamstrung the government and the ousted coalition found its way back into power.

☆ Malaysia Headed for Hung Parliament After Saturday’s Election
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Feliz Solomon | Ying Xian Wong | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—Malaysia is heading for a hung parliament with none of the three main coalitions of political parties on course to secure the majority needed to form a new government, bringing more uncertainty after national elections on Saturday that were meant to put an end to years of political instability. A coalition led by veteran politician Anwar Ibrahim was in the lead with results announced for most of the parliamentary races, but it won’t be able to clinch a majority in the 222-seat lower house. Multiple opposing political camps will now have to negotiate and work together toward building a new governing coalition.

☆ Father in China says strict Covid policies ‘indirectly killed’ his son
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

BEIJING — The father of a 3-year-old boy who died this week from carbon monoxide poisoning in northwest China said strict Covid-19 policies “indirectly killed” his son by causing delays obtaining treatment, in a case that has set off social media outrage. The boy’s death on Tuesday is the latest incident to generate blowback over China’s strict zero-Covid policy, with one critical hashtag racking up 380 million reads on Wednesday on the Twitter-like Weibo platform. “I personally think that he was indirectly killed,” the boy’s father, Tuo Shilei, told Reuters by phone from the Gansu provincial capital, Lanzhou, which has been under lockdowns for several months. At around midday on Tuesday, after his wife slipped and fell after being affected by gas fumes while cooking, Tuo noticed that his son, Wenxuan, was also unwell. One hashtag, “Three years of Covid was his entire life” became a trending topic before being scrubbed, a common occurence on China’s heavily censored internet.

☆ Factbox: What is China's zero-COVID policy and how does it work?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Here are key facts on China's zero-COVID policy. Those deemed close contacts of infected people must quarantine, and even distant or potential contact can result in an order to stay home. Arrivals of all nationalities are subject to seven days of quarantine at a facility and three days of home isolation. People must keep a "normal" COVID profile with continual negative test results, no contact with infected people and no visits to risky places. As of Tuesday, 3.44 billion doses had been administered, with over 90% of China's population fully vaccinated.

☆ Father blames China's COVID policy for son's death that sparked online anger
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Martin Quin Pollard | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The boy's death is the latest incident to trigger blowback over China's strict zero-COVID policy, with one critical hashtag racking up 380 million reads on Wednesday on the Twitter-like Weibo platform. At around midday on Tuesday, after his wife slipped and fell after being affected by gas fumes while cooking, Tuo noticed that his son, Wenxuan, was also unwell. Tuo said he tried desperately to call for an ambulance or police, but could not get through. One hashtag, "Three years of COVID was his entire life", became a trending topic before being scrubbed, a common occurance on China's heavily censored Internet. Tuo said he rejected the offer, instead demanding an explanation for his son's death.

☆ Chinese cities clamp down on COVID as cases rise before winter season
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

In Guangdong province, manufacturing centre Guangzhou has seen a spate of cases over the past week that has closed some districts. Over the past week, authorities raced to get a handle on rising cases in Datong, Xining, Nanjing, Xian, Zhengzhou and Wuhan forcing temporary lockdown measures of some neighbourhoods. Datong, which recorded 288 cases from Oct. 27-30, has enforced stricter isolation and management of hotels, key industries and its railway. As winter nears, northern cities, particularly those close to international borders, are seeing higher case numbers and could face new curbs. Mudanjiang in Heilongjiang province, bordering North Korea, extended the temporary lockdown of some areas, according to local media reports.

"With the zero-COVID policy here to stay, we think the economy will continue to struggle heading into 2023," Zichun Huang, economist at Capital Economics, said in a research note. At this month's twice-a-decade Communist Party Congress, President Xi Jinping reiterated China's commitment to its zero-COVID policy, disappointing investors and countless Chinese frustrated by lockdowns, travel curbs and testing. "We don't expect the zero-COVID policy to be abandoned until 2024, which means virus disruptions will keep in-person services activity subdued," said Huang from Capital Economics. New cases in mainland China hit 2,898 on Sunday, topping 2,000 for a second straight day, a tiny number by global standards. However, in Beijing the Universal Resort theme park reopened on Monday after being shut last week because one visitor had tested positive for coronavirus.

☆ Chinese military scientists simulated a nuclear blast in space to knock out satellite networks like Starlink
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Stephen Chen | South China Morning Post | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Chinese scientists conducted a computer experiment of a nuclear blast in space. This could render nuclear weapons ineffective and too dangerous for an anti-satellite mission. Chinese military researchers worry that these satellites could provide communication services to rivals or slam into China's space station or satellites, acting as "suicide agents" to disable Chinese space infrastructure during a war. Some Chinese researchers have therefore proposed hitting a few carefully selected targets that could produce a small amount of space debris. "Whether it is legal to use nuclear weapons as a defence measure against a hypersonic weapon attack remains a subject of debate in the research community," he added.

☆ Chinese cities tighten curbs against widening COVID outbreaks
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Chinese cities from Wuhan in central China to Xining in the northwest are doubling down on COVID-19 curbs, sealing up buildings, locking down districts and throwing millions into distress in a scramble to halt widening outbreaks. Wuhan, site of the world's first COVID-19 outbreak in late 2019, reported around 20 to 25 new infections a day this week. Nevertheless, local authorities ordered more than 800,000 people in one district to stay at home until Oct. 30. Other large cities across China including Zhengzhou, Datong and Xian have implemented new curbs this week to rein in local outbreaks. China has repeatedly vowed to stick to its zero-tolerance response to COVID-19 and implement what the authorities say are necessary measures to contain the virus.

FILE PHOTO: A health worker wears a protective suit near a testing booth as outbreaks of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continue in Beijing, China, Oct. 23, 2022. An index measuring road freight transport turnover tumbled 26.2% on Oct. 21 from a year prior versus a 23.7% drop a week earlier, according to Nomura. New local infections fell 24% to 6,096 during Oct. 18-24 from a week earlier. Zhengzhou’s metro traffic slumped 79% from Oct. 11 to Oct. 15, according to the latest available data. Metro traffic in Guangzhou dropped 8.8% during Oct. 18-24 from the previous week, Reuters calculations based on data released by local metro operators showed.

☆ Morning Bid: British bond burn
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

read moreAhead of the open, 10-year U.S. Treasury yields were again flirting with the year's highs above 4% and global stocks (.MIWD00000PUS) were heading for new 2022 lows. Key developments that should provide more direction to U.S. markets later on Tuesday:* U.S. Sept NFIB small business index. * International Monetary Fund publishes World Economic Outlook and Global Financial Stability Report at annual IMF/World Bank meeting in Washington. * Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey, BoE deputy governor Jon Cunliffe, Swiss National Bank chief Thomas Jordan, European Central Bank chief economist Philip Lane, ECB board member Fabio Panetta, ECB bank supervisor Andrea Enria speak in United States. Long Gilt Yields SoarRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterBy Mike Dolan, editing by Ed Osmond, <a href="mailto:mike.dolan@thomsonreuters.com" target="_blank">mike.dolan@thomsonreuters.com</a>.

☆ Chinese copper trader Maike will sell assets and restructure, Financial Times reports
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Maike, which handles a quarter of the country's refined copper imports, is an important intermediary between Chinese metal consumers and global merchants such as Glencore (GLEN.L) and Trafigura. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReuters could not immediately reach Maike for comment. "We're actively selling assets and equities to replenish our liquidity and reduce debt," He said to FT, adding that the final plan could involve "shareholding restructuring, asset restructuring and debt restructuring. Last month, Reuters reported that Maike was seeking help from the government and financial institutions to alleviate liquidity issues caused by measures aimed at curbing COVID-19 outbreaks. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Akriti Sharma in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-PhillipsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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