Page 34 - China

Vladimir Putin talks brotherhood as Volodymyr Zelenskyy goes to US

Siberian gas pipeline to China launched; Xi, Medvedev discuss Ukraine

Zero Covid-19 deaths, says China, but panic spreads across globe

Dozens of hearses queue outside Beijing crematoria; firms suffer supply snags, demand falls as cases spread

WHO "very concerned" about reports of severe COVID in China

The head of the World Health Organisation said the agency is very concerned about rising reports of severe coronavirus disease across China after the country largely abandoned its zero COVID policy, warning that its lagging vaccination rate could result in large numbers of vulnerable people getting infected. At a press briefing on Wednesday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the UN agency needs more information on COVID-19 severity in China, particularly regarding hospital and intensive care unit admissions, in order to make a comprehensive risk assessment of the situation on the ground. WHO is very concerned over the evolving situation in China with increasing reports of severe disease, Tedros said. He added that while COVID deaths have dropped more than 90% since their global peak, there were still too many uncertainties about the virus to conclude that the pandemic is over. Some scientists have warned that the unchecked spread of COVID-19 in China could spur th

Rising Covid cases in China a concern but India need not panic: SII CEO

Serum Institute of India (SII) CEO Adar Poonawalla on Tuesday expressed concern over reports of a rising COVID-19 graph in China but said there is no need to panic as the vaccination coverage in India is excellent. Poonawalla's tweet came a day after the Union Health Ministry urged all states and UTs to ramp up the whole genome sequencing of positive samples to keep track of newer variants, if any, amid a spurt in cases in the US and China. "The news of rising COVID cases coming out of China is concerning, we need not panic given our excellent vaccination coverage and track record. We must continue to trust and follow the guidelines set by the Government of India and @MoHFW_INDIA," Poonawalla tweeted. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pune-based SII had collaborated with Oxford University and pharmaceutical company Astra Zeneca for making the Covishield vaccine. In October, Pooanwalla said the SII stopped producing the vaccine in December 2021. Of the total stock available at that

Covid fears in China may have cascading impact on India's exports, imports

The importance of China as India's top trading partner cannot be understated

Where is the economy headed?

The economy has recovered from Covid, but incompletely, and old problems still persist

Covid's China syndrome

Another booster and some basic precautions needed

Chinese aggression another reason to strengthen India-US ties: US lawmakers

The latest Chinese aggression against India is yet another reminder of why a strong Indo-US security partnership is crucial to their national security, top American lawmakers have said. The Chinese and Indian troops were engaged in a fresh clash in Yangtse area of Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang sector on December 9, in first such major flare-up after the deadly hand-to-hand combat in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades. "China's most recent aggression in Arunachal Pradesh is yet another reminder of why a strong security partnership with India is crucial to the national security of the United States and our allies, the India Caucus Co-Chairs said in a statement. "This event marks yet another threat of the People's Republic of China to the Indian territory, including China's premeditated aggression on the Line of Actual Control in 2020 which saw the death of approximately 20 Indian troops, it said. "As co-chairs o

Wave of Covid-19 infections in China triggers widespread drugs shortage

An unprecedented Covid infections in China has triggered widespread drug shortage, as people scramble to buy fever medicines and painkillers to alleviate flu-like symptoms, according to media report

New Covid-19 outbreak in China: India Inc says no need to panic yet

With the global economy -- already struggling with the war in Ukraine and stagflation risks -- worried about the impact of another Covid-19 outbreak in China, India Inc is cautiously optimistic that the resilience of the Indian economy will help avoid any large-scale disruptions. Subhrakant Panda, the newly-appointed president of the industry association FICCI, said there is no need for panic yet but alertness is certainly called for, and that the Indian economy and corporates have the depth and resilience to withstand any "short and sharp" disruption to the global supply chain. "I believe the government is on top of things," he said recounting how the government handled the unseen pandemic - first imposing lockdown when little was known to keep it under control, to a graded reopening of the economy, and finally to carrying out world's largest vaccination drive once the vaccines were available. The Union Health Secretary has reportedly written to the states to keep an eye on genome

3 cases of Omicron subvariant BF.7 detected in India, shows report

Three cases of Omicron subvariant BF.7, apparently the strain driving China's current surge of Covid cases, have been detected in India so far, official sources said Wednesday. The first case of BF.7 in India was detected in October by Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre. So far, two cases have been reported from Gujarat while one case has been reported from Odisha, they said. In the Covid review meeting chaired by Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya Wednesday, experts said although there is no overall increase in Covid caseload as of now, there is a need for continued surveillance to keep a track of existing and emerging variants. According to official sources here, Chinese cities are currently hit by the highly transmissible Omicron strain, mostly BF.7 which is the main variant spreading in Beijing and is contributing to a wider surge of Covid infections in that country. "The BF.7's high transmissibility in China might be attributed to a low level of immunity in the Chinese

China will work to promote strategic partnership, Xi tells Australian PM

Diplomatic ties between Australia and its major trading partner China deteriorated in recent years, with Beijing imposing sanctions on Australian exports

As Covid cases spike in China, experts ask Indians to stay vigilant

Dr Sangita Reddy, Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals, on Tuesday cautioned the government to act swiftly on policy regarding air travel to and from China

Mandaviya to review Covid situation amid spurt in cases in US, China

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya will review the COVID-19 situation on Wednesday in view of a fresh spurt in cases in some countries such as Japan, South Korea, Brazil, China and the US, official sources said. The minister will review the COVID-19 situation at 11:30 am on Wednesday "considering the international scenario", they said. The secretaries of health and Ayush ministries, Department of Pharmaceuticals and Department of Biotechnology, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Director General Rajiv Bahl, Member (Health) of NITI Aayog V K Paul and National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) Chairman N L Arora and other senior officials will attend the meeting. Meanwhile, the Union health ministry on Tuesday urged all states and union territories to ramp up the whole genome sequencing of positive samples to keep track of newer variants. In a letter to states and UTs, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said such an exercise will enable timely detection

China's budget deficit hits record $1.1 trillion on Covid zero slump

The lockdowns, testing and quarantine rules that were key to the Covid Zero policy put a strain on consumer and business spending, pushing the economy close to contraction in the second quarter

China was not prepared for Covid surge, 3 waves may hit this winter: Report

Epidemiologists predict at least three waves of the virus to hit the country during winter. It is certain that the Chinese government was "under-prepared" as it decided to end its zero-Covid policy

Chinese aggression another reason to boost ties with India: US lawmakers

The latest Chinese aggression against India is yet another reminder of strong India-US ties, top American lawmakers have said. China's most recent aggression in Arunachal Pradesh is yet another reminder of why a strong security partnership with India is crucial to the national security of the United States and our allies, India Caucus Co-Chairs said in a statement. This event marks yet another threat of the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the Indian territory, including China's premeditated aggression on the Line of Actual Control in 2020 which saw the death of approximately 20 Indian troops, the co-chairs said. As co-chairs of the India Caucus, we have worked for years to deepen the US-India bilateral relationship. The India Caucus built on this progress by including the Khanna-Sherman-Schweikert amendment in the House-passed FY23 NDAA, highlighting the immediate and serious regional border threats that India faces from China, said the statement. The co-chairs applauded the ..

Beijing building up unoccupied land features in South China Sea, says West

While China has previously built out disputed reefs, islands in the area, the West presented images of what they called the first known instances of a nation doing so on the territory

'Over 60% of China, 10% of world population likely to get Covid-19'

He also raised concern over the 'Zero Covid' policy and protests across China, saying that some restrictions should have been imposed in the light of the latest surge in cases

As China cases surge, India must keep an eye on raw material supplies

Epidemiologist forecasts 10% of world population will be infected in next 90-days