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Tag: China

  • China says 9 dead, at least 440 infected with new coronavirus

    China says 9 dead, at least 440 infected with new coronavirus

    Nine people have died and hundreds have been infected by a new type of coronavirus, according to Chinese medical authorities.

    Beijing has identified 440 patients carrying the virus across 13 Chinese provinces, said Li Bin, deputy director of the National Health Commission, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

    Elsewhere, the semi-autonomous territory of Macao also confirmed its first case on Wednesday, adding to infections detected in Taiwan, the Philippines, Thailand, Japan and South Korea.

    As with all the cases that have been identified so far outside of China’s borders, the Macao patient had travelled to the central Chinese metropolis of Wuhan, where scientists suspect the virus was initially transmitted from animals to people.

    The U.S. reported its first patient carrying the disease on Tuesday – a U.S. citizen who had visited Wuhan.

    The new coronavirus belongs to the same family of viruses that caused Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), a disease that killed 800 people globally in a 2002-03 pandemic that also started in China.

    Fears about the spread of the disease are growing as millions of people are travelling to their hometowns this week to celebrate the Lunar New Year, which falls on Saturday.

    Face masks were rapidly selling out in major Chinese cities on Wednesday, following Chinese authorities’ announcement earlier in the week that the coronavirus was transmittable from person to person.

    Authorities are asking people to avoid travelling to Wuhan if possible.

    The city on Tuesday imposed travel restrictions and said it had installed infrared thermometers at airports, railway and bus stations and was disinfecting public transport vehicles daily.

  • Crude Oil Slumps on Fear of Deadly Virus in China

    Crude Oil Slumps on Fear of Deadly Virus in China

    Despite an escalation brought by Libya’s oilfields blockage on Monday, oil prices fell on Tuesday as a deadly virus in China sparked fears of an economic slowdown.

    Prices had appreciated on Monday when supporters of military commander, Khalifa Haftar, closed a pipeline connecting Libya’s largest oilfields which led to a stop in oil production.

    As at Tuesday night, the Brent crude was trading down by 66 cents or 1.01 percent to trade at $64.54 per barrel, while the US West Texas Intermediate crude shed 29 cents or 0.5 percent to settle at $58.29 per barrel.

    China’s National Health Commission on Monday confirmed cases of the SARS-like coronavirus spreading between humans, which has already killed six people and infected over 300 people.

    This also affected global stocks which were down on Tuesday, with Asian markets posting the biggest drops due to the mounting concern over the rapid spread of the deadly virus in China.

    The substantial oil supply disruptions in Libya couldn’t keep prices up as the new virus threatens to upset the global market as panic held the market with performance lower in some countries.

    Some analysts said while it’s still early, the virus does not seem to be as lethal as SARS, which killed about 10 percent of patients. Reports show that Chinese authorities on Monday said that the virus was now being transmitted between humans, creating more concern of a mass epidemic.

    The coronavirus infection can create respiratory problems, coughing, fever and in more severe cases pneumonia, or acute respiratory syndrome and death.

    Looking ahead, if the threat posed by this new virus subsides, oil prices can do better even as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) cut back its 2020 global economic growth forecasts by a tenth of a percentage point to 3.3 percent because of sharper than expected slowdowns in India and other emerging markets.

    However, the IMF said that the US-China trade deal signed on January 15 was another pointer that trade and manufacturing activity could do better. The bank maintained its 2020 forecasts for Brent and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) prices at $62 and $57 a barrel respectively.

  • Deadly coronavirus in China likely to spread to other nations, WHO warns

    The World Health Organisation (WHO) warned on Tuesday that the new coronavirus was likely to spread to other parts of China and possibly other countries in coming days.

    “More cases should be expected in other parts of China and possibly other countries in the coming days,” said WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic.

    So far in China, the virus has mostly been concentrated in Wuhan city, where it is thought to have emerged from a seafood market, although isolated cases have also been reported in Shanghai and Beijing.

    On the reason for the expected new cases, Jasarevic said that they would appear as China steps up monitoring.

    “If you increase surveillance and testing you are likely to get new numbers,” he added.

    All international cases are thought to be linked to the original outbreak cluster in Wuhan.

    The WHO does not advise travel restrictions at this time.

    Similarly, Taiwan on Tuesday confirmed the first case of infection from the new coronavirus, a woman in her 50s who had returned to the island after working in the Chinese city of Wuhan where the outbreak began.

    The Taiwan Centres for Disease Control said the woman, from southern Taiwan, had returned to the island on Monday and had been sent to the hospital from the airport after showing symptoms such as fever and coughing.

    It however advised people not to panic, saying the woman had been identified as soon as she arrived in Taiwan.

    Taiwan has already alerted China and the WHO about the case, the government added.

    The outbreak has spread from the central Chinese city of Wuhan to cities including Beijing and Shanghai.

    Other cases have also been reported outside China, including in South Korea, Thailand and Japan.

    Taiwan, which has close economic and people-to-people links with China in spite of political tensions between the two sides, on Monday set up an epidemic response command center to coordinate the island’s response to the virus.

    Taiwan has also prepared more than 1,000 beds in isolation wards in case the virus spreads further.

  • China confirms spread of new virus

    China confirms spread of new virus

    Chinese authorities have on Monday, confirmed the outbreak of a new coronavirus that has spread to more cities, tripling the number of patients.

    The Daxing health commission in Beijing said it had confirmed two cases of coronavirus, while the southern Guangdong province’s health commission confirmed one case in Shenzhen. They mark the first cases in China beyond the central city of Wuhan where the virus first emerged.

    The Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said 136 new cases of pneumonia caused by the coronavirus strain had been found in the city over the weekend, adding to 62 already known cases. A third death occurred on Saturday, the authority said in a statement.

    This brings the total number of known cases worldwide to more than 200, underscoring the challenge for health authorities seeking to contain the outbreak. South Korea on Monday reported its first confirmed case of the coronavirus, a 35-year-old female Chinese national who had traveled from Wuhan, the fourth patient to be reported outside China.

    Hundreds of millions of Chinese tourists will be traveling domestically and abroad during the Lunar New Year holiday period that starts later this week.

    A report by London Imperial College’s MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis estimated that by Jan. 12 there were 1,723 cases in Wuhan City with the onset of related symptoms. Chinese health authorities have not commented directly on the report.

  • I left Premier League because of money – Ighalo

    I left Premier League because of money – Ighalo

    Former Super Eagles striker, Odion Ighalo, has admitted that he left Premier League side, Watford to join Chinese side, Changchun Yatai back in 2017 because of ‘money’.

    Ighalo scored 33 goals in 82 matches for Watford during his spell at the English club.

    “There’s lot of reasons I went there [China]. I wasn’t playing much in Watford and I did not want to keep sitting on the bench,” Ighalo told the Watford Observer.

    “Watford fans don’t know it but I had an offer from Crystal Palace on the table and West Bromwich but the club was looking for big money and that’s why I accepted Changchun Yatai at the time. So, instead of me sitting down there and not playing I had to move.

    “When the opportunity came for me I accepted it because China could pay what Watford wanted. But this is past tense now. I am happy and Watford are happy because they made a lot of money with me. And they are still my team in the Premier League.

    “I don’t know about other players. Maybe they go there for different ambitions. Me? Yes, I went there for the money I am honest but I don’t know why other players go there for.”

    He added: “The league is really growing, they have a lot of foreign coaches and players who improve the league.

    “All I can say is that the Chinese Super League is improving every day and I am very happy about my choice. Regrets? No everything is going well, I am happy there and working hard.”

  • Ozil removed from PES 2020 in China

    Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil has been removed from China’s version of the Pro Evolution Soccer 2020 video game following his criticism of China’s treatment of Uighur Muslims.

    Ozil, who is a Muslim, called Uighurs “warriors who resist persecution”.

    He also criticised both China and the silence of Muslims in response.

    NetEase, which publishes the PES franchise in China, said the former Germany player had been removed from three existing titles in the country.

    “The German player Ozil posted an extreme statement about China on social media,” it said in a statement.

    “The speech hurt the feelings of Chinese fans and violated the sports spirit of love and peace. We do not understand, accept or forgive this.”

    Arsenal said the club is “apolitical” and China’s foreign ministry claimed 31-year-old Ozil – who is of Turkish origin – was “deceived by fake news”.

    Rights groups say about a million people – mostly from the Muslim Uighur community – are thought to have been detained without trial in high-security prison camps.

    China has consistently denied mistreating Uighur Muslims in the country and says they are being educated in “vocational training centres” to combat violent religious extremism.

    Harun Khan, the Secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, said Ozil’s actions were “hugely commendable” and described Arsenal’s decision to distance themselves from Ozil’s views as “regrettable”.

  • Nigerian slumps after arrival from China

    A passenger, identified as Chukwuma Anthony Ezeh, on Wednesday slumped and died at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

    An official source at the MMIA arrival terminal told the News Agency of Nigeria that the passenger slumped on arrival from China and died while waiting to collect his luggage

    Ezeh, according to information on his passport, was 47 years old at the time of the incident.

    Spokesperson of the Police MMIA Command, DSP Joseph Alabi, who confirmed the incident to NAN at about 9.25pm on Wednesday, said the passenger came aboard Ethiopian Airlines.

    According to him, the incident happened at about 3:15p.m. and the deceased was confirmed dead at the MMIA clinic.

    “While walking at the arrival hall, the man slumped and died,” Alabi said.

    Alabi added that Ezeh’s body had been deposited at the Air Force Base Hospital mortuary.

     

  • China to host expanded Club World Cup in 2021

    China to host expanded Club World Cup in 2021

    China will host the first edition of the new, expanded 24-team Club World Cup in 2021, FIFA President Gianni Infantino told reporters on Thursday following a meeting of the global soccer body’s decision-making council in Shanghai.

    Infantino said the competition would take place in June-July of that year and that the format, slot allocation and criteria for selecting the teams would be decided in the next few weeks.

    Infantino did not give an exact breakdown of slots but said there would be eight teams from Europe.

    The competition is also expected to feature five or six teams from South America, one from Oceania, one from host nation China and three each from the other continental confederations.

    Infantino also announced that the hosts for the 2030 World Cup would be chosen in 2024, although he said the Council did not discuss the possibility of allowing

    Asian countries to bid something which would require a change of FIFA rules on the rotation of World Cup hosting.

    “It is a historic decision for football,” Infantino said of the decision to choose China for the new-look competition, adding there are no other candidates.

    “The new (tournament) will be a competition which anyone who loves football is looking forward to. It is the first real and true (Club) World Cup where the best clubs will compete,” he added.

    Infantino said the new tournament would have a “major impact” financially.

    “It will allow us to generate significant revenues but I want to underline this, very, very clearly …..FIFA will have zero out of this because we will reinvest this in football,” he said.

    The tournament has faced strong opposition from European clubs who say there is no room in the current international calendar.

    The Club World Cup currently consists of seven teams and is held every December. Qatar will stage the final two editions, including the one this year.

    Infantino said the bidding process for hosting of the 2030 World Cup would be launched in 2022 with the decisive vote at the FIFA Congress two years later.

    Argentina, Uruguay, Chile and Paraguay have announced a four-way bid which could have sentimental value as Uruguay hosted the inaugural World Cup in 1930.

    The four British associations are contemplating a joint bid along with Ireland, while Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece and Romania are also planning a joint bid as are Spain and Portugal.

    Asian countries are currently ruled out because Qatar will stage the 2022 World Cup and current regulations prevent the same continent from hosting either of the subsequent two tournaments.

    “We did not discuss that we just discussed the timeline,” said Infantino when asked if the council had considered changing the rule.

    However, he added: “As FIFA president. ……the more bidders we have for the World Cup, the happier I am.”

    Infantino said FIFA would invest one billion dollars in women’s football during the current four-year cycle, double the amount originally planned.
    He said the extra would be taken from FIFA reserves.

  • Nigeria will honour all agreements with China – Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday in Abuja assured that Nigeria is ready to provide counterpart funding on all agreements reached with China for the provision of infrastructure that directly improves the livelihood of Nigerians.

    He gave the assurance while receiving Yang Jiechi, Special Envoy of the President of China, Xi Jinping, at State House, Abuja.

    President Buhari, in a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and publicity, Chief Femi Adesina, expressed deep appreciation for China’s sustained and genuine efforts to improve Nigeria’s infrastructure development, especially in the sectors of road, railway, aviation, as well as power and water resources.

    ‘‘Now that we have a government in place (with the Ministers), we know the provision of infrastructure is very important. It (Infrastructure) provides job opportunities and economic sustainability which are very important for political stability,’’ the President said.

    He also underlined Nigeria and China’s cooperation at the international arena, saying: “At the international level, we appreciate the support we give to each other and very importantly this must be sustained.’’

    ‘‘Nigeria is determined to play its role wherever China’s interest is concerned,’’ the President said while appreciating China’s support for Nigeria’s presidency of the 74th UN General Assembly.

    On Lake Chad, the President emphasised the need for sustained support from China on the recharging of The Lake, noting that Nigeria and countries in the region have a lot to benefit from Chinese expertise and technology on inter-basin water transfer.

    ‘‘China has the technology, the people and the resources to help Lake Chad Basin countries because not many people in the region appreciate our problem of being near the Sahara desert and its influence on our population and climate change, which is affecting over 20 million people living there,’’ he said.

    President Buhari also welcomed the offer by the Special Envoy for close partnership between Nigeria’s governing party, the All Progressives Congress and the Communist Party of China.

    Delivering the message of President Xi, the Special envoy, who led a high-powered Chinese delegation to the meeting, assured President Buhari of China’s readiness to improve strategic partnership with Nigeria and effectively implement the outcomes of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Beijing Summit in 2018.

    ‘‘China firmly supports Nigeria in pursuing a development path that supports Nigeria’s national conditions. We have every confidence that under Your Excellency’s able leadership, Nigeria will achieve even greater success in its national development.

    ‘‘During Your Excellency’s trip to China for the FOCAC Beijing Summit, we had bilateral meetings and reached important agreements on our bilateral relations and issues of mutual interest.

    ‘‘I highly value China’s ties with Nigeria and stand ready to work with Your Excellency to enhance our political trust, jointly pursue Belt and Road Cooperation, effectively implement the outcomes of FOCAC and strengthen our coordination in regional and international affairs so as to further enrich the strategic partnership between both countries,’’ President Xi said.

    The Chinese leader once again congratulated President Buhari on his re-election.

    With President Buhari at the meeting were Ministers of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Power, Transport, Aviation, Industry, Trade and Investment and Foreign Affairs.

    The meeting discussed the status and implementation of several on-going projects being undertaken by Chinese firms in the country including railways, free trade zones, Mambilla Hydro-Power plant and four airport terminals, among others.

  • Trump warns China against 'late' trade deal as US 2020 election draws closer

    U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday warned China against waiting out his first term in office to finalise any trade deal.
    Trump added that if he wins re-election in the November 2020 U.S. presidential contest, the outcome could be no agreement or a worse one.
    Trump said this in a post on Twitter, as the latest U.S-China trade talks began in Shanghai.
    “The problem with them waiting … is that if & when I win, the deal that they get will be much tougher than what we are negotiating now…or no deal at all,” Trump said.
    Trump said China appeared to be backing off on a pledge to buy U.S. agricultural products, which U.S. officials have said could be a goodwill gesture and part of any final pact.
    “China … was supposed to start buying our agricultural product now – no signs that they are doing so.
    “That is the problem with China, they just don’t come through,” Trump wrote in a series of tweets.
    U.S. and Chinese officials restarted negotiations after talks stalled in May in a bid to end a yearlong trade war marked by tit-for-tat tariffs, but must still resolve deep differences, keeping expectations for this week’s two-day meeting low.