China

UPDATED: Beijing’s local COVID cases rise before Olympics; more areas find Omicron

BEIJING, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Beijing reported 14 local confirmed COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, the highest daily count in its current outbreak, less than two weeks before the Winter Olympics…

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Hong Kong may maintain COVID isolation until 2024, risking exodus – Euro chamber

* Firms may shift to mainland, Singapore or Seoul HONG KONG, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Hong Kong may only reopen in early 2024 because of its stringent COVID-19 policies, which…

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China suspends pork imports from Italy due to African swine fever case

BEIJING, Jan 26 (Reuters) - China's agriculture ministry said on Wednesday it had suspended pork imports from Italy after African swine fever was detected in a wild boar in the…

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Olympics-At Beijing Games, hugs discouraged but condoms available

Beijing Olympics organisers are keeping up with the tradition of making condoms available to athletes, despite detailed social distancing guidelines intended to curb the spread of COVID-19 within the "closed…

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More Chinese provinces report cases linked to Beijing clusters

Hong Kong says civil servants to work from home as much as possible as COVID spreads

HONG KONG, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Hong Kong's government said that special work arrangements would be put in place from Tuesday to reduce the number of civil servants working in…

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One surrendered Hong Kong hamster tests COVID positive as city lockdown grows

HONG KONG, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Hong Kong authorities said on Sunday one hamster surrendered to authorities by pet-owners had tested positive for the COVID-19 virus and that over 2,200…

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China’s Beijing orders more COVID tests as cases mount before Olympics

BEIJING, Jan 23 (Reuters) - The local government in China's capital ordered more COVID-19 tests on Sunday as the city continued to report new local cases, less than two weeks…

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Iran, China and Russia hold naval drills in north Indian Ocean

Jan 21 (Reuters) - Iran, China and Russia held their third joint naval drills in the northern Indian Ocean on Friday, state TV reported. Navies from Iran's armed forces and…

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China daily local confirmed COVID cases fall to nearly two-month low, hamster cull continues in Hong Kong

BEIJING, Jan 21 (Reuters) - China reported on Friday the lowest daily tally of local confirmed COVID-19 cases in nearly two months, after a national strategy to quickly curb flare-ups…

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Thousands in Hong Kong volunteer to adopt hamsters amid COVID-19 fears

HONG KONG, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Thousands of people in Hong Kong volunteered on Wednesday to adopt unwanted hamsters after a mass cull order from the government over COVID-19 fears…

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China reports fewest daily local confirmed COVID-19 cases in two weeks

BEIJING, Jan 19 (Reuters) - China reported the lowest daily count of local confirmed COVID-19 infections in two weeks on Wednesday after cities sealed up areas of virus risk, quarantined…

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Putin to brief China’s Xi on Russia-NATO talks, Kremlin says

Russian President Vladimir Putin will brief his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Moscow's talks with NATO when he travels to Beijing next month, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.…

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China’s economy loses steam as COVID-19 erupts, c.bank cuts rates

BEIJING, Jan 17 (Reuters) - China's economy rebounded in 2021 from its pandemic-induced slump helped by robust exports but the pace slowed further in the fourth quarter off the back…

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Chinese cities on high COVID-19 alert as Lunar New Year travel season starts; Omicron spreads

BEIJING, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Several Chinese cities went on high COVID-19 alert as the Lunar New Year holiday travel season started on Monday, requiring travellers to report their trips…

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China’s birth rate drops to record low in 2021

BEIJING, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Mainland China's birth rate dropped to a record low in 2021, data showed on Monday, extending a downward trend that led Beijing last year to…

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China urges local govts to minimize impact from COVID-19 curbs over Lunar New Year

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's state planner on Sunday urged local governments to minimise the impact from COVID-19 restrictions over the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday to help a rebound in…

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Beijing Omicron case prompts temple closures, queues for COVID-19 tests

BEIJING, Jan 16 (Reuters) - China on Sunday reported 65 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases for Jan. 15, including the first Omicron case in Beijing, just weeks from the Feb. 4…

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China reports fewer coronavirus cases but Omicron spread unclear

SHANGHAI, Jan 15 (Reuters) - China reported fewer new confirmed coronavirus cases for Jan. 14 than a day earlier, but details on the spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant…

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Hong Kong suspends transit flights from most of the world due to COVID-19

HONG KONG, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Hong Kong authorities said on Friday the city's airport will suspend for a month transit flights from around 150 countries and territories considered high…

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Shanghai cuts some tourism trips on COVID-19 cases; Chinese cities adding quarantine rooms

BEIJING/SHANGHAI, Jan 14 (Reuters) - China's financial hub Shanghai cut some tourist trips on Friday as it rushed to head off local COVID-19 cases amid a rise in imported infections,…

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Cathay Pacific to suspend transit travellers from high-risk places from Jan. 16

HONG KONG, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd said on Thursday that transfer and transit services at Hong Kong International Airport will be banned to passengers coming from…

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Another Chinese city detects Omicron case as Tianjin outbreak expands

BEIJING, Jan 13 (Reuters) - The Chinese port city of Tianjin reported an increase in COVID-19 infections on Thursday as it stepped up efforts to rein in an outbreak that…

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Hong Kong warns COVID-19 curbs on air cargo to hit goods supply

HONG KONG, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Hong Kong will soon feel the negative effects of tougher COVID-19 quarantine curbs on air crew, with cargo traffic and the supply of goods…

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Chinese cities tighten COVID-19 curbs as Tianjin battles Omicron outbreak

Cities across China are imposing tougher restrictions to try to control new outbreaks of COVID-19, with Tianjin battling the highly contagious Omicron variant which has been detected to have been transmitted locally in two…

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China’s Tianjin tightens control over travel after Omicron cases

BEIJING, Jan 10 (Reuters) - The northern Chinese city of Tianjin tightened exit controls and is requiring residents to obtain approval from employers or community authorities before leaving town in…

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UPDATED: Tianjin begins city-wide testing after at least two local Omicron cases detected

SHENZHEN, China, Jan 9 (Reuters) - The northern coastal city of Tianjin began testing its population of around 14 million on Sunday after at least two local cases of the…

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China warns hospitals against rejecting patients over COVID curbs as cases decline

BEIJING, Jan 7 (Reuters) - China reported fewer COVID cases on Friday as several cities have curbed movements, while a top official warned hospitals not to turn away patients after…

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China’s Henan imposes more COVID curbs as cases spike, though numbers small

BEIJING, Jan 6 (Reuters) - More cities in central China resorted to tough curbs as new coronavirus infections in Henan province rose sharply, with authorities taking urgent action to contain…

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Hong Kong announces new COVID measures, including flight bans

Hong Kong announced a two-week ban on incoming flights from eight countries on Wednesday and tightened local COVID-19 restrictions as authorities feared a fifth wave of coronavirus in the city.…

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UPDATED: Over 42,000 in central COVID quarantine in China’s Xian

BEIJING, Jan 5 (Reuters) - More than 42,000 people in the Chinese city of Xian were in centralised COVID-19 quarantine facilities as of Tuesday, a city official said on Wednesday.…

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China to order cybersecurity reviews for some firms seeking overseas listings

China said on Tuesday it will put in force new rules to increase its oversight of plans by Chinese platform firms to list on overseas stock markets in the latest…

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Russia, China, Britain, U.S. and France say no one can win nuclear war

China, Russia, Britain, the United States and France have agreed that a further spread of nuclear arms and a nuclear war should be avoided, according to a joint statement by…

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China ends 2021 with worst COVID week since taming original epidemic

BEIJING, Jan 1 (Reuters) - China ended its final week of 2021 with its biggest tally of local coronavirus cases for any seven-day period since subduing the country's first epidemic…

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Hong Kong says Omicron has spread despite COVID restrictions

HONG KONG, Dec 31 (Reuters) - Hong Kong's health officials said on Friday the Omicron variant of the coronavirus has made its way past some of the world's toughest COVID…

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Chinese cities on COVID alert as New Year holiday looms

BEIJING, Dec 31 (Reuters) - China is on high alert against COVID-19 as the New Year holiday looms, with the city of Xian under lockdown while several New Year's Eve…

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Thousands message late Chinese COVID whistleblower doctor 2 years on

SHANGHAI, Dec 30 (Reuters) - Thousands of people left messages on the social media account of the late Chinese COVID-19 whistleblower Li Wenliang on the anniversary of the day he…

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Riot Games agrees to pay $100 million to settle gender discrimination lawsuit

Tencent Holdings' Riot Games on Monday said it has agreed to pay $100 million to settle a 2018 gender-based discrimination class-action lawsuit with California state agencies and current and former…

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China local symptomatic COVID cases rise for a 4th day as Xian outbreak expands

China's local symptomatic coronavirus cases rose for a fourth consecutive day on Monday, with Xian city reporting more infections in a flare up that has put 13 million residents under lockdown. Xian…

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China oil demand to peak by 2030 on petrochemical use -CNPC research

BEIJING, Dec 27 (Reuters) - China's oil consumption is expected to keep growing for a decade on robust chemical demand, reaching a peak of about 780 million tonnes per year…

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Photo Story: China prepares for the Year of the Tiger

A security guard stands near many tiger decorations in a shopping mall in Beijing, China, 27 December 2021. Chinese lunar new year also be called 'Spring Festival', will fall on…

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China’s local COVID-19 cases edge higher as Xian enters 5th day of lockdown

BEIJING, Dec 27 (Reuters) - China's local symptomatic coronavirus cases crept up again, with most new infections reported in the northwestern city of Xian as it entered a fifth day…

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China’s local COVID case count driven to 21-month high by Xian outbreak

BEIJING, Dec 26 (Reuters) - China reported its highest daily rise in local COVID-19 cases in 21 months as infections more than doubled in the northwestern city of Xian, China's…

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EPA’s Eye in the Sky: Harbin, China

An aerial view taken with a drone shows the venue of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival, in Harbin, Heilongjiang province. Via EPA-EFE/ALEX PLAVEVSKI

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China targets online platforms in quest to ‘clean up’ internet

China will scrutinise online platforms such as social media networks and video-sharing sites to clamp down on fake accounts and information as part of its drive to "clean up" the…

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China reports fall in new COVID-19 cases vs day earlier

BEIJING, Dec 24 (Reuters) - China reported 87 new confirmed coronavirus cases for Dec. 23, down from 100 a day earlier, its health authority said on Friday. Of the new…

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China expects COVID cases due to Games arrivals, flags Omicron risk

BEIJING, Dec 23 (Reuters) - Organisers of the Beijing Winter Olympics said on Thursday they expect a "certain number" of COVID-19 cases in China due to foreigners arriving for the…

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Hong Kong university dismantles, removes Tiananmen statue

HONG KONG, Dec 23 (Reuters) - A leading Hong Kong university has dismantled and removed a statue from its campus site that for more than two decades has commemorated pro-democracy…

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China’s Xian locks down its 13 mln residents as COVID-19 cases mount

BEIJING, Dec 23 (Reuters) - The Chinese city of Xian has imposed tight curbs on outbound travel and commuting within the city, putting its 13 million residents in a lockdown…

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Beijing city calls for less holiday travel to reduce COVID risks

BEIJING, Dec 18 (Reuters) - Beijing city said on Saturday it is advising residents not to leave town during a major holiday season in early 2022, part of efforts to…

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UPDATED: Hong Kong douses fire that trapped 150 people on trade centre roof

HONG KONG, Dec 15 (Reuters) - A fire broke out on Wednesday in Hong Kong's World Trade Centre, trapping about 150 people on its roof, and 13 people were injured…

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Blinken touts deeper U.S. engagement amid concern over ‘aggressive’ China

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday touted a U.S. strategy to deepen its Asian treaty alliances, offering to boost defence and intelligence work with partners in an Indo-Pacific region increasingly concerned…

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China’s Brii says its COVID-19 antibody cocktail retains activity against Omicron

BEIJING, Dec 13 (Reuters) - China's Brii Biosciences said lab studies showed that its COVID-19 antibody cocktail retained activity against the Omicron variant, although one of the antibodies showed a…

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Antibody response from China Zhifei’s COVID shot weaker against Omicron

BEIJING, Dec 13 (Reuters) - China's Anhui Zhifei Longcom Biopharmaceutical said on Monday a small laboratory test showed its COVID-19 vaccine could trigger antibodies against the Omicron variant though the…

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Mainland China detects first case of Omicron coronavirus variant

Health authorities in northern China's port city of Tianjin have detected the first case of the Omicron coronavirus variant in the country's mainland, the state-run Tianjin Daily reported on Monday.…

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Chinese manufacturing hub fights its first 2021 COVID-19 outbreak

BEIJING, Dec 13 (Reuters) - Major Chinese manufacturing province Zhejiang is fighting its first COVID-19 cluster this year, with hundreds of thousands of citizens in quarantine and virus-hit areas suspending…

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China vaccinates over 80% of its people against COVID-19

China has vaccinated 82.5% of its population of 1.41 billion against COVID-19, a health official said. A total of 1.162 billion have received the required number of doses to complete…

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