Category: Society

(Xinhua)13:54, December 06, 2020

Chinas National Health Commission said Sunday that it received reports of 18 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases on the Chinese mainland Saturday, one of which was domestically transmitted in Tianjin.

Seventeen cases were imported from outside the mainland and reported in Shanghai, Fujian, Guangdong, Sichuan, Yunnan and Shaanxi, the commission said in its daily report.

Two new suspected cases arriving from outside the mainland were reported in Shanghai, said the report.

No new deaths related to the disease were reported, according to the report.

A total of 12 COVID-19 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovery on the Chinese mainland on Saturday.

By the end of Saturday, a total of 3,936 imported cases had been reported on the mainland. Among them, 3,690 had been discharged from hospitals following recovery, and 246 remained hospitalized. No deaths had been reported among the imported cases.

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases on the mainland reached 86,619 by Saturday, including 279 patients still receiving treatment, six of whom were in severe conditions.

A total of 81,706 patients had been discharged from hospitals following recovery on the mainland, and 4,634 had died of the virus, according to the report.

There were nine suspected COVID-19 cases on the mainland as of Saturday, and 5,540 close contacts remained under medical observation.

Saturday also saw two newly reported asymptomatic cases arriving from outside the mainland. On the same day, six imported asymptomatic cases were re-categorized as confirmed cases.

A total of 234 asymptomatic cases were under medical observation, including 227 imported cases, the commission said.

By the end of Saturday, 6,802 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 112 deaths, had been reported in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), while 46 confirmed cases had been reported in Macao SAR, and 693 cases, including seven deaths, in Taiwan.

Altogether 5,511 COVID-19 patients in Hong Kong SAR had been discharged from hospitals following recovery, while 46 had been discharged from hospitals in Macao SAR, and 574 in Taiwan.

(Xinhua)14:00, December 06, 2020

The China Coast Guard (CCG) in east Chinas Fujian Province has busted a major case involving the illegal mining of sea sand and arrested 59 suspects.

An initial probe revealed that the case involves more than 75 million tonnes of sea sand worth more than 5 billion yuan (over 765 million U.S. dollars), CCG sources said here.

The coast guard, in close cooperation with local police, spent more than six months investigating the case and confiscated seven vessels and about 35,000 tonnes of sea sand.

Further investigation is underway.

Sea sand is an important marine resource, the loss of which will harm the countrys coastal zones and its marine geology.

(Xinhua)08:54, December 07, 2020

WUHAN, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) — Two imported frozen food packaging samples tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Wuhan, capital of central Chinas Hubei Province, local health authorities said Sunday.

According to the citys health commission, the samples were taken from a batch of frozen pork imported from Brazil and a batch of frozen beef from Uruguay.

Local authorities have taken emergency measures to seal the imported frozen goods and disinfect the storage facilities and the surrounding environment.

The frozen pork imports consisting of 1,527 boxes and weighing 27.49 tonnes were shipped from Brazil to Shanghai on June 28. They were transported from Shanghai to Wuhan on July 27 and stored at a local cold storage on July 29.

The frozen beef contained in 1,210 boxes, weighing 26.93 tonnes, was shipped to north Chinas Tianjin Municipality on March 2. It reached Wuhan on March 28.

The nucleic acid test results of 511 samples from the cold storage, 460 samples from the frozen food packaging and 524 samples from local employees were all negative for COVID-19.

(Xinhua)09:03, December 07, 2020

JINAN, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) — Three imported frozen beef packaging samples tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Juye County, east Chinas Shandong Province, local health authorities said Sunday.

According to the countys epidemic prevention and control headquarters, the samples were taken from three batches of frozen beef imported from Argentina.

Local authorities have sealed the beef and clarified that it wasnt distributed in the market.

The beef-storage facility and the surrounding environment are being disinfected. Based on an epidemiological investigation, five close contacts and seven others have been found and placed under quarantine for medical observation. Their nucleic acid tests for COVID-19 have been negative.

(Xinhua)11:08, December 01, 2020

UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) — The COVID-19 pandemic is heightening the dangers of gender-based violence and human trafficking for women and girls, UN officials said on Monday.

In every part of the world, we are seeing that COVID has worsened the plight of at-risk women and girls, while also hindering criminal justice responses and reducing support to victims, said Ghada Waly, executive director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), during a virtual event on global commitment for women and girls amid the pandemic.

Women and girls were already being exposed to different forms of violence before the pandemic, and they make up more than 60 percent of all victims of human trafficking, according to UNODC.

However, lockdowns and other measures implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic have led to a shadow pandemic of rising gender-based violence, according to UNODC.

Womens economic inequality also increases their vulnerability to trafficking and sexual violence, according to UN Women, which promotes gender equality.

UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said that most female survivors, or nearly 80 percent, are trafficked for sexual exploitation.

There are socioeconomic consequences when these crimes happen, but in times of pandemic, the socioeconomic impact is even deeper, she said.

Forty-seven million more women and girls will be pushed to extreme poverty because of COVID-19, but business is booming for traffickers, she said.

In April, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed for a worldwide domestic violence ceasefire, urging governments to put womens safety first as they respond to the crisis.

So far, nearly 150 countries have answered the secretary-generals call, pledging to make prevention and redress of gender-based violence a key part of their pandemic response.

UNODC, UN Women and other partners are also backing the appeal.

(Xinhua)10:38, December 01, 2020

HONG KONG, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) — The two-day Belt and Road Summit organized by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government started Monday online, focused on Belt and Road (BR) opportunities and the global economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic.

When addressing the forum, HKSAR Chief Executive Carrie Lam stressed Hong Kongs advantage in bridging mainland and overseas markets and contributing to sound and sustainable financing and partnership along the Belt and Road.

Hong Kong also boasts multi-talented financial and related services professionals, the rule of law, an open and efficient market, the free flow of capital, information and people, and a simple and low tax regime, Lam said.

Commissioner of the Chinese foreign ministry in the HKSAR Xie Feng said COVID-19 has impacted the global economy and posed unprecedented challenges to economic globalization.

The Belt and Road Initiative and globalization will advance in tandem and complement each other, with high-quality Belt and Road cooperation making the new type of globalization more open, inclusive, balanced and beneficial to all, Xie said.

Over the past seven years, China has launched more than 2,000 projects with Belt and Road partners, Xie said, voicing support for Hong Kong in expanding exchanges and cooperation and serving as the super-connector along the Belt and Road.

Wang Bingnan, Chinas vice minister of commerce, also expressed support for Hong Kong in developing the Belt and Road platform, integrating into the countrys development and taking advantage of opportunities in the mainland markets.

Wang said the Ministry of Commerce will also actively support Hong Kong in participating in the international and regional economic cooperation.

Co-organized by the HKSAR government and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, this years summit is the fifth since 2016, attracting attendees from government officials to business leaders from countries and regions along the Belt and Road to discuss opportunities the Belt and Road brings.

(Xinhua)10:39, December 01, 2020

CHENGDU, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) — With Bambi eyes and a bright smile, 20-year-old Tibetan herdsman Tamdrin became the latest internet celebrity after a video clip and photos featuring his handsome face went viral online.

Tamdrin was spotted and videotaped by a photographer in his hometown in Litang County, Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, southwest Chinas Sichuan Province. The seven-second video garnered nearly 3 million likes on Douyin, the Chinese version of video-sharing platform TikTok, in less than three weeks.

Meanwhile, Ding Zhen, Tamdrins name in Mandarin, continues to trend on Sina Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter. People also got to know him as more videos came out, in which he used stumbling Mandarin to introduce himself and express his affection toward his chubby pony Pearl, and the animal has gained over 80,000 followers on its own Weibo account.

Being wild, sweet and pure, as his fans described, Tamdrin stands out from most internet celebrities for his innocence, the traditional Tibetan costumes he wears and the breathtaking views of his hometown in the background of the videos.

Sensing Tamdrins soaring popularity, the local government invited him to be the tourism ambassador of Litang County just days after his first video went viral. He was also hired by a local culture and tourism promotion company for a monthly salary of 3,500 yuan (about 532 U.S. dollars).

Dubbed the city in the sky, Litang is located over 4,000 meters above sea level and 654 km from Chengdu, the provincial capital. In the Tibetan language, Litang means flat grasslands like bronze mirrors.

The county, with a population of some 73,000, just shook off poverty in February. Compared with its neighboring Daocheng County, Litangs tourism has not been robust, though its views are no less impressive, according to local authorities. Tamdrins overnight fame gives the local government a boost to develop local tourism.

With his new title, Tamdrin appeared in a three-minute promotional video that came out last week in which he showed audiences his life of herding yaks beside the snowy Geyen Mountain, racing horses in endless meadows, praying in temples and singing love songs with his friends around a bonfire.

The world is big, but I love my hometown the most, he said in the monologue.

The sincerity of Tamdrin and the beauty of Litang soothe our anxious minds, read a comment below the video on Douyin.

Many netizens are seriously considering a tour to Litang. According to a recent report of Trip.com, Chinas major online tourism company, the search volume of Litang increased over six-fold in the 10 days after Nov. 20, four times more than during the National Day Holiday in October.

The interest was shown both in and outside Sichuan, making Litang a possible tourism hotspot during the upcoming New Year holiday, according to Trip.com.

More and more travel websites have published articles introducing travel routes to Litang, hotels to stay in and places to visit there.

Interestingly, some careless fans originally thought Tamdrins hometown was in the Tibet Autonomous Region and expressed their wish to travel there, which prompted Sichuans media groups and tourism department to demonstrate the fact on Weibo that Tamdrin belongs to them.

However, their counterparts in Tibet took the chance to promote the regions own tourism resources and invited Tamdrin to its capital Lhasa, a place he had expressed hope to visit one day in an interview.

Over the weekend, more provinces and autonomous regions around China, including Qinghai, Gansu, Shandong and Zhejiang, joined the rivalry for Tamdrins visit as well as tourists attention by showing their sceneries on Weibo.

Obviously, theres no loser in this fight. People jokingly called Tamdrin a real social media influencer that drives the national tourism economy.

Du Dong, general manager of the company where Tamdrin works, told Xinhua that peoples enthusiasm projects a prosperous tourism market in the coming year.

I hope Tamdrin could grow together with Litangs tourism industry, he said.

Tamdrin is happy with all the invitations and the fact that he could help promote his hometown to more people. He will be a qualified tourism ambassador, but has no intention to become a star as many other internet celebrities did, he told Xinhua.

As he said in the promotional video, his dream is to keep the title of the prince on the horseback given by his friends in Litang and win every race.

I just want to ride my pony over the mountains and hills, he said.

(Xinhua)10:59, December 01, 2020

BEIJING, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) — Chinas imports of solid waste have continued to drop amid the countrys green development drive, and a sweeping ban on such imports will take effect from the beginning of next year.

As of Nov. 15, China had imported 7.18 million tonnes of solid waste this year, down 41 percent year on year, said Qiu Qiwen, an official with the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE), on Monday.

The plunge is consistent with the downward momentum seen since late 2017 when the State Council, Chinas cabinet, tightened curbs on solid waste imports. The figures for the previous three years stood at 42.27 million tonnes, 22.63 million tonnes and 13.48 million tonnes, respectively.

According to a notice issued recently by the MEE, the Ministry of Commerce, and the General Administration of Customs, China will ban all imports of solid waste from Jan. 1, 2021. The dumping, stacking and disposal of waste products from abroad on Chinese territory will also be banned.

Any violation of the ban will be severely punished, according to Qiu.

China began importing solid waste as a source of raw materials in the 1980s and for years has been the worlds largest importer, despite its limited garbage disposal capacity. Some companies illegally brought foreign waste into the country for profit, posing a threat to the environment and public health.

(Xinhua)11:01, December 01, 2020

NANNING, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) — The 17th China-ASEAN Expo and the concurrent China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit concluded Monday in Nanning, the capital city of south Chinas Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, promoting high-quality cooperation under Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

A total of 86 investment projects worth 263.87 billion yuan (around 40.1 billion U.S. dollars) were signed at the four-day event, up 43.6 percent year on year, according to data released by the expos secretariat at the closing ceremony.

The investment projects in the fields of health, big data, logistics, new manufacturing, new materials, new energy and finance, accounted for 85.3 percent of the total.

With an exhibition area of 104,000 square meters, this years expo set up 5,400 booths for 1,668 enterprises, including Fortune 500 and industry-leading companies. In addition, 1,956 enterprises from home and abroad participated virtually in the event.

This years expo featured an exhibition area accommodating 108 companies from 22 countries, mostly countries participating in the BRI, including Pakistan, Iran, France, Italy and Russia.

More than 150 trade and investment promotion activities were also held both online and offline during the expo.

The 18th China-ASEAN Expo is preliminarily scheduled for Sept. 10 to 13, 2021, with Laos continuing as the Country of Honor and Pakistan the Special Partner Country.

PROMOTING BRI COOPERATION

This years expo has achieved good results conducive to pushing forward the development of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and deepening cooperation among participating countries, according to the expos secretariat.

During the expo, a strategic cooperation framework agreement among several logistics companies along the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor was signed to speed up development of the BRI.

The New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor is a trade and logistics passage jointly built by western Chinese provincial regions and ASEAN member states. It serves as a bridge between the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

Meanwhile, nine commercial banks from provinces and cities along the corridor also signed a proposal to offer financial support for the construction of the land-sea trade corridor.

Over the last 17 years, the China-ASEAN Expo not only demonstrated the achievements by China and ASEAN in strengthening business and investment cooperation but also became an important force in promoting the construction of the BRI, Sonexay Siphandone, Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Planning and Investment, said during the expo.

Djauhari Oratmangun, Ambassador of Indonesia to China, said during the expo that better cooperation between China and ASEAN in the near future will benefit and serve the welfare of people in China, ASEAN and BRI countries.

This years expo also highlighted the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the worlds biggest trade pact, which was signed earlier this month by 15 Asia-Pacific countries, including ASEANs 10 members and China.

Wang Lei, secretary-general of the expos secretariat, said that the high-level dialogue platform of the expo will be expanded from China and ASEAN to RCEP countries, encouraging them to play a more active role in development of the BRI.

(Xinhua)11:07, December 01, 2020

BEIJING, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) — Chinas National Health Commission said Tuesday that it received reports of 12 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases on the Chinese mainland Monday, including four domestically transmitted cases and eight imported ones.

All the domestically transmitted cases were reported in Inner Mongolia, the commission said in its daily report.

No new suspected cases or new deaths related to COVID-19 were reported Monday, the commission said.

A total of 12 COVID-19 patients were newly discharged from hospitals after recovery on the Chinese mainland on Monday.

By the end of Monday, a total of 3,866 imported cases had been reported on the mainland. Among them, 3,621 had been discharged from hospitals following recovery, and 245 remained hospitalized. No deaths had been reported among the imported cases.

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases on the mainland reached 86,542 by Monday, including 277 patients still receiving treatment, eight of whom were in severe conditions.

A total of 81,631 patients had been discharged following recovery on the mainland, and 4,634 had died of the virus, according to the commission.

There were six suspected COVID-19 cases on the mainland on Monday, and 7,147 close contacts remained under medical observation.

Monday saw five newly reported asymptomatic cases, four of whom arrived from outside the mainland. On the same day, five asymptomatic cases were re-categorized as confirmed cases.

A total of 264 asymptomatic cases were under medical observation, including 259 who arrived from outside the mainland.

By the end of Monday, 6,314 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 109 deaths, had been reported in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), with 46 confirmed cases reported in Macao SAR, and 675 cases, including seven deaths, in Taiwan.

A total of 5,344 COVID-19 patients in Hong Kong SAR had been discharged from hospitals following recovery, while 46 had been discharged from hospitals in Macao SAR, and 565 in Taiwan.