TheNewsGuru

Tag: China

  • BREAKING: China bars Nigerians, others from entering country

    BREAKING: China bars Nigerians, others from entering country

    The Chinese authorities have temporarily suspended entry into China by Nigerians and other nationals in Nigeria holding valid Chinese visas or residence permits due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    According to reports the United Kingdom, Belgium, Luxembourg, Philippines and a few others were also affected by the policy.

    It was gathered that the decision was informed by the evaluation of the COVID-19 situation in the concerned countries.

    Announcing this in a public notice on Thursday, the Embassy of China and Consulate in Nigeria also said it will no longer issue certified health declaration form for non-Chinese nationals in the country.

    It, however, said holders of diplomatic passports, courtesy or C visas would not be affected by the regulation.

    The statement was titled, ‘Notice of temporary suspension of entry into China by non-Chinese nationals in Nigeria holding valid Chinese visas or residence permits.’

    It read, “Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, China has decided to temporarily suspend entry into China by non-Chinese nationals in Nigeria holding visas or residence permits still valid at the time of this announcement.

    “The Chinese Embassy and Consulate in Nigeria will no longer issue a certified health declaration form for the above-mentioned personnel. Entry by holders of diplomatic service, courtesy or C visas will not be affected.

    “Foreign nationals visiting China for emergency needs may apply for visas at the Chinese Embassy or Consulate. Entry by non-Chinese nationals in Nigeria with visas issued after November 3, 2020, will not be affected.”

    The embassy explained that the suspension was a temporary response necessitated by the current situation of COVID-19.

    It added that the measures would be assessed in accordance with the evolving situation “and any adjustment will be announced, accordingly.”

    Also speaking on the development in an interview with the AFP, the spokesman,Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry, Wang Wenbin, said the entry suspension was a legitimate and valid move consistent with international customary practices.

  • UPDATE: Okonjo-Iweala’s WTO job hunt hits new roadblock

    UPDATE: Okonjo-Iweala’s WTO job hunt hits new roadblock

    The celebration of Nigerians and supporters of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala in the world at large was short-lived on Wednesday after Donald Trump-led government said the United States won’t endorse her appointment to be the next Director-General of the World Trade’s Center (WTO).

    It will be recalled that TheNewsGuru (TNG), had earlier published a report that the WTO panel had appointed Okonjo-Iweala for the WTO job.

    However, a report published by Bloomberg on an ongoing proceeding between WTO delegates indicates that there is one BIG hurdle left for her to cross to become the first woman and African to head the global watchdog in its 25-year history.

    The recommendation of former minister Okonjo-Iweala was made by three WTO ambassadors after consulting with members in a series of closed-door meetings in Geneva as part of an intricate and secretive process that some have compared to a papal succession.

    The WTO ambassadors, led by New Zealand’s Ambassador David Walker, is due to make the formal recommendation to a closed-door meeting of heads of delegations at 3 p.m. (1400 GMT).

    It, however, still needs to be approved by consensus at a meeting of the WTO’s 164 members.

    Many members, such as China and the United States have declined to name their preference publicly although some African, Caribbean and other states have voiced support for Okonjo-Iweala.

     

     

  • Bottled-water businessman dethrones Jack Ma to become China’s richest person

    Bottled-water businessman dethrones Jack Ma to become China’s richest person

    Zhong Shanshan, a bottled-water and vaccine tycoon added almost $52 billion to his fortune this year, dethroning Alibaba’s founder, Jack Ma to become the richest person in China.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Shanshan’s net worth reached $58.7 billion on Wednesday, $2 billion more than Jack Ma’s net worth, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

    Shanshan is now Asia’s second-richest person behind India’s Mukesh Ambani, and he is the 17th wealthiest person in the world, ahead of Charles Koch and Phil Knight.

    The bottled-water businessman now leads a wealth ranking in China that is typically dominated by people who made their fortunes from tech companies.

    Shanshan’s fortune has jumped by $51.9 billion in 2020, more than anyone else in the world except Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Tesla’s Elon Musk.

    Both suffered heavy declines on Wednesday as tech stocks stumbled and Tesla plunged after its “Battery Day” event fell short of expectations.

    Musk’s fortune dropped by almost $10 billion.

    Shanshan was propelled to China’s top three richest earlier this month by the initial public offering of his bottled-water company, Nongfu Spring Co.

    TNG reports Nongfu Spring Co. turned out to be Hong Kong’s most popular among retail investors.

  • U.S., China clash over COVID-19 at UNGA

    U.S., China clash over COVID-19 at UNGA

    The U.S. and China on Tuesday clashed over the coronavirus pandemic during the General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

    U.S. President Donald Trump, who fired the first shot in his pre-recorded video message, referred to the coronavirus as “China virus”, a term that angers Beijing.

    “We must hold accountable the nation which unleashed this plague onto the world: China.

    “In the earliest days of the virus, China locked down travel domestically while allowing flights to leave China and infect the world.

    “China condemned my travel ban on their country, even as they cancelled domestic flights and locked citizens in their homes,” he said.

    Trump reiterated his allegation that China and the World Health Organisation (WHO), “which is virtually controlled by China”, deliberately misled the world on the mode of transmission of the virus.

    He accused them of “falsely declaring that there was no evidence of human-to-human transmission”.

    “Later, they falsely said people without symptoms would not spread the disease.

    “The United Nations must hold China accountable for their actions,” he said.

    Chinese ambassador to the UN, Amb. Zhang Jun, responded to Trump’s accusations before introducing his country’s president, Xi Jingping, who was the fourth leader to speak.

    Jun said China would not be cowed by U.S. “bully tactics”, accusing Trump of using the global stage to spread his “political virus”.

    “We strongly and totally reject the baseless accusation against China.

    “No matter what others say, we support multilateralism and the UN to play its central role in international affairs,” he said.

    The exchanges came shortly after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had, in his address, expressed concern over the escalating tensions between north countries.

    Warning against a “new Cold War” between the U.S. and China, Guterres said the bad blood was moving the world in “a very dangerous direction”.

    “Our world cannot afford a future where the two largest economies split the globe in a Great Fracture, each with its own trade and financial rules and internet and artificial intelligence capacities.

    “A technological and economic divide risks inevitably turning into a geo-strategic and military divide.

    “We must avoid this at all costs,” he said.

    Although the Chinese president did not address the U.S. directly in his speech, he said the world “must” reject unilateral actions and work together to defrost the virus.

  • Nigeria issues fresh travel protocols to China, Europe, North America

    Nigeria issues fresh travel protocols to China, Europe, North America

    The Nigeria Immigration Service Friday issued fresh travel protocols for passengers travelling from Nigeria to China, Europe and North America, asserting that passengers should strictly abide by them to avoid denial from departure or repatriation.

    Its Comptroller General Muhammad Babandede, said the development was in line with the request of the affected countries, particularly from Chinese and French Embassies.

    A statement signed by the Service spokesman, Mr. Sunday James noted that “effective 1st September 2020, all intending passengers to China are required to obtain COVID-19 negative test certificate before departing Nigeria for China.”

    They are required to take a “Nucleic Acid Test” three (3) days before departure.
    Chinese citizens are to apply for “Green Health Codes” with “HS” mark, James added.

    James further said: “Other foreign nationals including Nigerians are to complete “Health Declaration Forms.

    “All the two (2) categories of travelers; foreigners to China and Chinese citizens are to submit COVID-19 negative test certificate to the Chinese Embassy or Consulate in Nigeria for issuance of required clearance for their journey to China.

    “Non-Resident Nigerians in Europe and North America are to avoid transiting France pending the lifting of travel restrictions due to COVID-19. Transit passengers to Europe and North America transiting through Paris, must endeavor to present a valid Permanent Resident Permit for their final destination and COVID-19 negative test certificate to enable them entry into France.

    “As from the 1st of July 2020, only French nationals and residents are allowed into the country (France) with respect to the note verbal from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs conveying the Travel Advice from the French Embassy in Nigeria.

    “The Nigeria Immigration Service hereby, advice all China, Europe and North American bound passengers to strongly abide by these rules to avoid denial of departure from Nigeria and repatriation from the countries concerned due to non-compliance.”

  • Spy plane: US is provoking us – China

    Spy plane: US is provoking us – China

    China on Wednesday accused the United States of provocation.

    Beijing said a U.S. plane spied on its military in the country’s north.

    Foreign Ministry spokesman, Zhao Lijian, stated that an Air Force U-2 spy plane entered the no-fly zone for live-fire exercises without authorization.

    “This is a stark provocation; China has lodged a solemn protest with the U.S. about the issue,’’ Dpa quoted him as saying.

    The Chinese Army is conducting drills over the Bohai Sea until September 30.

    Reacting, U.S. Pacific Air Forces told CNN that a plane flew in the Indo-Pacific area but did not violate international rules.

    The two world powers are at loggerheads over the coronavirus pandemic, trade and Hong Kong/Xinjiang.

  • China’s first patent granted for COVID-19 vaccine

    China’s first patent granted for COVID-19 vaccine

    China’s first patent for a COVID-19 vaccine has been granted by the country’s National Intellectual Property Administration.

    The patent was jointly applied for by a research team with the Academy of Military Sciences and CanSino Biologics Inc., a Chinese high-tech biopharmaceutical company, said a report in People’s Daily.

    The team led by Chen Wei, a Researcher at the Institute of Military Medicine under the academy, developed the recombinant COVID-19 vaccine, with the modified defective adenovirus as the vector.

    In March, the vaccine became the first in China to be approved to enter clinical trials.

    According to the patent abstract, the vaccine shows good immunogenicity in both mouse and guinea pig models and can induce strong cellular and humoral immune response in a short period of time.

    It can be produced quickly on a large scale to cope with a COVID-19 outbreak.

    The vaccine has now finished phase-1 and phase-2 clinical trials, which have verified its safety and immunogenicity, said the report.

  • Beirut explosion: China, UK, EU, US, Qatar pledge €252m aid to Lebanon

    Beirut explosion: China, UK, EU, US, Qatar pledge €252m aid to Lebanon

    Britain, Qatar, the United States, the European Union, China, the World Bank have pledged immediate humanitarian relief worth over 252 million euros (297.08 million U.S. dollars) to Lebanon.

    Beirut, the Lebanese capital was rocked last week by two huge explosions that have claimed at least 158 lives and injured 6,000 others.

    The aid pledge followed a UN-backed virtual conference hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron.

    The donors thereafter issued a joint statement, pledging solidarity with and support for the Lebanese people.

    “The participants agreed that their assistance should be timely, sufficient and consistent with the needs of the Lebanese people, well-coordinated under the leadership of the United Nations, and directly delivered to the Lebanese population, with utmost efficiency and transparency,” said the statement.

    “To help Lebanon overcome the tragedy and recover better, we will need all hands on deck,” UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed told the conference.

    Noting that the devastating Beirut port blast will have “deep social and economic impacts,” Mohammed called for a focus on the support of “four priority sectors — health, food, the rehabilitation of buildings and the rehabilitation of schools.”

    “The Lebanese people deserve a stable and secure future,” the UN deputy chief said, adding that “with determination and solidarity, we can help them reach that long-sought goal.”

    Calling for quick reconstruction support at the conference, Lebanese President Michel Aoun said “we have great needs at the moment and we must meet them quickly before the winter as citizens will suffer a lot without shelters during the cold weather.”

    “The earthquake struck us while we are in the midst of economic and financial crisis, in addition to the existence of over 1 million refugees in Lebanon and the repercussions of COVID-19. Dealing with all these is way beyond the capacity of Lebanon,” Aoun added.

    A dozen of countries and international organizations have expressed solidarity and sympathy with Lebanon over the deadly explosions, with medical supplies and foodstuff to the Middle East country.

    The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said Friday that it is mobilizing assistance to support its staff and refugees affected by the deadly blasts.

    “We are making available our stocks of shelter kits in the country, plastic sheets, rub halls, and tens of thousands of other core relief items including blankets and mattresses for immediate distribution and use. Additional stockpiles in the region will come in reinforcement,” the UNHCR said in a statement.

    Lebanon has received field hospitals from a number of countries in the past few days, including France, Jordan, Russia and Qatar, to aid in the treatment of injured people and COVID-19 patients.

    The blasts hit the Port of Beirut at around 6:10 p.m. local time (1610 GMT) on Tuesday, causing massive casualties and costing the city 3 billion to 5 billion dollars in property losses.

    The causes of the blasts remain unknown and an investigation is underway, but Interior Minister Mohammad Fahmi said the 2,700 tons of explosive chemicals stored at Port of Beirut may have led to the explosions.

    Lebanese Environment Minister Demianos Kattar and Information Minister Manal Abdel Samad on Sunday submitted their resignations following the blasts, local media reported.

    A number of members of parliament also presented their resignations a day earlier due to the explosions.

  • China raises alarm as new deadly virus surfaces

    China raises alarm as new deadly virus surfaces

    China, where the coronavirus was detected last December, is now facing a new health threat from another virus, that is tick-borne.

    The virus causes a disease called “Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (SFTS).

    According to reports, it has already killed seven people and infected at least 60, setting off alarm bells among health officials in the country.

    Many of the cases reported were concentrated in East China’s Jiangsu and Anhui provinces, local media reported.

    A tick specie that bears the virus

    While more than 37 people were diagnosed with SFTS in Jiangsu in the early months of 2020, 23 were later found to be infected in Anhui.

    While the disease is transferred to humans through tick bites, Chinese virologists have warned that human-to-human transmission of the virus cannot be ruled out.

    Unlike SARS-CoV-2 however, this is not the first time the SFTS virus has infected people.

    The recent spate of cases merely marks a re-emergence of the disease, IndianExpresss.com reports.

    Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) belongs to the Bunyavirus family and is transmitted to humans through tick bites. The virus was first identified by a team of researchers in China over a decade ago. The first few cases were reported in rural areas of Hubei and Henan provinces in 2009.

    The team of researchers identified the virus by examining blood samples obtained from a cluster of people exhibiting similar symptoms. According to a report by Nature, the virus killed at least 30 per cent of those infected.

    The current case fatality rate rests between approximately 16 and 30 per cent, according to the China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention.

    Due to the rate at which it spreads and its high fatality rate, SFTS has been listed among the top 10 priority diseases blue print by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

    Virologists believe an Asian tick called Haemaphysalis longicornis is the primary vector, or carrier, of the virus. The disease is known to spread between March and November.

    Researchers have found that the total number of infections generally peaks between April and July.

    Farmers, hunters and pet owners are particularly vulnerable to the disease as they regularly come in contact with animals that may carry the Haemaphysalis longicornis tick.

    Scientists have found that the virus is often transmitted to humans from animals like goats, cattle, deer and sheep.

    Despite being infected by the virus, animals generally do not show any symptoms associated with SFTSV.

    What are the symptoms of the SFTFS virus?

    According to a study conducted by a team of Chinese researchers in 2011, the incubation period is anywhere between seven and 13 days after the onset of the illness.

    Patients suffering from the disease usually experience a whole range of symptoms, including, fever, fatigue, chill, headache, lymphadenopathy, anorexia, nausea, myalgia, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, gingival hemorrhage, conjunctival congestion, and so on.

    Some of the early warning signs of the disease include severe fever, thrombocytopenia or low platelet count and leukocytopenia, which is low white blood cell count.

    The risk factors observed in more serious cases include multi-organ failure, hemorrhagic manifestation and the appearance of central nervous system (CNS) symptoms.

  • U.S. rift with China over TikTok assumes new high

    U.S. rift with China over TikTok assumes new high

    China says it will not accept the U.S.’ “theft” of a Chinese technology company, state media reported on Tuesday.

    The Trump administration’s pressuring of ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company in China, to sell its U.S. operations to Microsoft or risk closure amounts to a “smash and grab,” the state-run China Daily newspaper wrote in an editorial.

    Beijing has ways to retaliate against Washington’s pressure on the Chinese-owned short video app TikTok.

    While Beijing will likely be “cautious” in imposing equivalent restrictions on U.S. companies in China, it has “plenty of ways” to retaliate, the paper said.

    Microsoft said on Monday that it was in discussions with ByteDance to buy parts of TikTok after U.S. President Donald Trump gave the companies 45 days to reach a deal.

    Trump had initially threatened to ban TikTok in the U.S. on national security grounds.

    U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said over the weekend that Washington might take action “shortly” against TikTok and other Chinese companies believed to share data with the Chinese government.

    ByteDance said in a statement late Sunday it was still committed to being a global company despite “complex and unimaginable difficulties” including the “tense” international political environment.