Airlines ‘extremely disappointed’ by wave of China-targeted Covid restrictions January 4, 2023 The global industry body for airlines has said it is “extremely disappointed” by countries’ decisions to introduce restrictions on travellers from China after Covid cases have skyrocketed in the country following Beijing’s decision to ditch its zero-Covid policy. The International Air Transport Association (IATA), which represents around 300 airlines across the globe, described the wave [...]
China’s zero-Covid policy must be a cautionary tale for the UK January 4, 2023 The rise in Covid-19 cases in China has seen the return of travel restrictions – but Paul Ormerod argues the scientific evidence suggests lockdowns aren’t worth the cost – only shifting cases, rather than eliminating them As we greet the new year with the hope of more serene times ahead, some might do it with [...]
Transport secretary: Covid-positive China arrivals will not have to isolate January 3, 2023 Transport secretary Mark Harper has confirmed the UK will not require Covid-positive arrivals from China to quarantine despite mounting calls from the Health Security Agency to identify and test cases. The transport secretary told LBC today that travellers from China will not be forced to isolate and said the policy to test arrivals was put [...]
Huawei out of ‘crisis mode’ after years of US restrictions on Chinese tech giant December 30, 2022 Huawei, the Chinese technology giant, says it has emerged from “crisis mode” after years of US restrictions that have stifled its overseas sales, even though its revenue for 2022 failed to grow from a year earlier. “US restrictions are now our new normal, and we’re back to business as usual,” Eric Xu, Huawei’s current chairman, [...]
Ben Wallace: UK approach to China travel ‘under review’ amid Covid concerns December 29, 2022 The possibility of the UK introducing restrictions for travellers from China is “under review”, as the nation prepares to open up overseas travel, the UK defence secretary has said. China has announced plans to ditch its Covid-zero policy and will reopen its borders in January. The US will require all arrivals from China to provide [...]
Show of strength? China sends dozens of aircraft into Taiwanese airspace December 26, 2022 Seventy-one Chinese air force aircraft including fighter jets and drones entered Taiwan’s air defence identification zone in the past 24 hours, the island’s government said on Monday, the largest reported incursion to date. Of the aircraft, 43 also crossed the Taiwan Strait’s median line, an unofficial buffer between the two sides that lies within the [...]
US-China tension: Taiwan spending angers Beijing power brokers December 24, 2022 Beijing has condemned an annual US defence spending bill for hyping up the “China threat”, but Taiwan welcomed the legislation, saying it demonstrated US support for the self-governing island that China says must come under its rule. “China deplores and firmly opposes this US move,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted online on [...]
China: Quiet trading floors and hampered supply chains as Covid-19 spreads December 19, 2022 Covid-19 is sweeping though China’s capital city according to reports, after strict measures were suddenly removed earlier this month. The virus has quietened trading floors in Beijing and is also spreading fast in the financial hub of Shanghai, according to a Reuters report. Stock trading volume has fallen in the last week, with most currency [...]
Rising tensions: Foxconn to be fined by Taiwan over investment in China December 18, 2022 Apple supplier Foxconn is expected to be fined by the Taiwanese government for an unauthorised investment in China, as tensions between the two states continue to build. Foxconn, the world’s largest maker of contract electronics, had bought a stake in Chinese chip giant Tsinghua Unigroup in July, which went against new rules imposed in Taiwan. [...]
JP Morgan raises China growth forecasts as country braces for Covid-19 spike December 15, 2022 JP Morgan has hiked its growth forecasts for China, after the sudden removal of its ‘zero-Covid’ laws paves the way for a brighter economy. The US bank now expects China’s gross domestic product (GDP) to grow by 30 basis points to 4.3 per cent next year. “The most important development in the past month is [...]