News that Beijing has ordered state firms to halt purchases of farm products could well be an opportunistic political maneuver stemming from fundamental weakness on the demand side in China, said analysts. On Monday, Reuters reported that China has asked main state firms to suspend large-scale purchases of major U.S. farm products like soybeans and […] Read more
China’s parliament, the National People’s Congress, on Thursday approved the proposal to impose a new national security law for Hong Kong, and paves the way for the legislation to be finalized and implemented in the city. The NPC voted 2,878 to 1 in favor of the bill, which will pave the way for its Standing […] Read more
Chinese President Xi Jinping said Monday that his country will provide $2 billion over two years to help other countries respond to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The leader of the world’s second-largest economy, where the disease known as Covid-19 emerged late last year, was speaking via video conferencing at the opening ceremony of a key […] Read more
Before coronavirus brought the world to its knees, 2020 was slated to be a crucial year for the European Union and China. At a showpiece summit in September, the two are set to take a significant step forward in their economic and strategic relationship. At least that was the plan. China’s response to covid-19 has […] Read more
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach have agreed to postpone the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Abe and Bach held a conference call on Tuesday to discuss the constantly changing environment with regard to Covid-19 and the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, a statement from the IOC and the Games Organising […] Read more
A quick glance at the accounts of his 10,000-person packaging factory in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi tells Stuart Donegan that the “big wave is coming”. In addition to its Hanoi site, Donegan’s company, Sino Manufacturing, employs 1,500 at a plant in Ho Chi Minh City in the south of Vietnam, while three other factories […] Read more
Beijing’s move to dismiss two top officials in Hubei province – epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak – and parachute in a central government fixer is another move to appease public anger over how the authorities responded to the virus crisis. It is also a measure to try and keep the economy on track. State broadcaster […] Read more
Two more patients in Hong Kong tested positive for the coronavirus on Thursday, as another case was confirmed. The confirmation brought the city’s tally of infections to 22, and it could reach 24 if the two preliminary cases are confirmed. It came after leading microbiologist Yuen Kwok-yung declared a community outbreak. The two patients who […] Read more
China is refurbishing a Beijing hospital built during the 2002-03 Sars outbreak, according to mainland media, as it works to contain acoronavirus that has killed more than 100 people and infected more than 4,500. Xiaotangshan Hospital, on the northern outskirts of Beijing, was used in 2003 to quarantine and treat severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) […] Read more
There are differences in the way English and Italian speakers are affected by dementia-related language problems, a small study suggests. While English speakers had trouble pronouncing words, Italian speakers came out with shorter, simpler sentences. The findings could help ensure accurate diagnoses for people from different cultures, the researchers said. Diagnostic criteria are often based […] Read more
