Foreign Policy

• Xi holds phone talks with Putin on COVID-19 pandemic (Xinhua)
• China says U.S. accusations in arms control report "not worth refuting" (Xinhua)
• China may have conducted banned nuclear test blasts, US says (SCMP)
• African debt to China may be solved through bilateral talks on the basis of equality (Global Times)
• China, Africa in communication on situation of Africans in Guangdong: spokesperson (Xinhua)
• Twitter shuts Chinese diplomats' accounts, exposes double standard (Global Times)
• Chinese oil survey ship returns to disputed waters off Vietnam amid coronavirus pandemic (SCMP)

Domestic Policy

• Courts come down hard against outbreak prevention violations (China Daily)
• Temporary hospital in Wuhan completes mission (China Daily)
• TCM drugs approved to treat virus (China Daily)
• China to focus on asymptomatic patients as 50% of confirmed cases show no symptoms: top medical expert (Global Times)
• Who is behind the fake news of 'discrimination' against Africans in China? (Global Times)
• Reopened Wuhan sees over 660,000 inbound and outbound passengers in first week (China Daily)
• Two sessions expected in May as dates of local meetings are announced (Global Times)
• Chinese premier proposes fast-track lane for essential personnel on urgent visits (China Daily)
• Coronavirus: China bans two medical equipment exporters for 'tarnishing the country's image' (SCMP)
• Coronavirus: green light for human trials on two more Chinese vaccine hopefuls (SCMP)

Beijing 

• When classes start again, masks required (China Daily)
• Beijing schools prepare for reopening with emergency plans (Global Times)

Xinjiang

• Xinjiang to invest big on building 5G network (China Daily)

Hongkong

• Hong Kong activists Joshua Wong and Agnes Chow mount legal challenge over warrants obtained by police to search phones and Facebook office (SCMP)
• Man admits to hurling petrol bombs outside two Hong Kong police stations, pleads guilty to raft of offences, including drug possession (SCMP)
• Beijing's attack on Hong Kong opposition viewed as 'taste of what's to come' as attention pivots from coronavirus to city's legislative elections (SCMP)

Taiwan

• Confusion prompts call for China Airlines name change in Taiwan, but at what cost? (SCMP)

Economy

• China's GDP heads for historic downturn in Q1: GT survey (Global Times)
• Chinese oil producers may cut capacity as plunging crude prices squeeze profit (Global Times)

DPRK

• How North Korea's billion-dollar construction boom could transform the Pyongyang skyline – as well as the Kim regime's finances (SCMP)
• North Korea's Kim Jong-un replaces almost half of top governing body in reshuffle (SCMP)

Mongolia

• Foreign Minister meets the U.S. Ambassador (Montsame)
• School closures extended until September 1 (Montsame)
• EU and World Bank support Mongolia's efforts to address COVID-19 Impact (Montsame)

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Xi holds phone talks with Putin on COVID-19 pandemic (Xinhua)
2010-03-16
Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, spoke over phone on Thursday night, reaffirming mutual support in the fight against COVID-19 and rejecting politicization of the pandemic. As the coronavirus disease is spreading around the globe, Xi said, all countries are faced with the arduous task of tackling the epidemic. Recalling that he and Putin held two telephone conversations in a month to exchange views and coordinate positions on how to better cooperate in epidemic prevention and control, Xi said that has once again demonstrated the high level of China-Russia relations. Xi noted that Putin has been personally planning and commanding Russia's battle against the contagious illness, and has introduced a series of effective prevention and control measures. The Chinese side, he added, is confident that under Putin's strong leadership, Russia will certainly stem the spread of COVID-19 at an early date, safeguard people's safety and health, and restore economic and social development. China and Russia are connected by mountains and rivers, and their people share a hearty friendship, Xi said, adding that the Chinese people will bear in mind Russia's all-out assistance at the most difficult moment in China's fight against the epidemic. He noted that in recent days the team of medical experts dispatched by the Chinese government have been working actively in Moscow, and exchanging experience with their Russian counterparts on how to combat the disease. China has provided Russia with a batch of assistance and been actively helping Russia purchase anti-epidemic medical supplies in China, Xi said, adding that China will continue offering the northern neighbor firm support. The Chinese president expressed his gratitude for the active efforts Russia has made for Chinese nationals in Russia, saying he believes that Russia will, as always, protect Chinese nationals' normal work and life on its soil. He stressed that politicizing and labeling of the COVID-19 pandemic are detrimental to international cooperation, and suggested that China and Russia work together to jointly safeguard global public health security. Noting that bilateral trade in the first quarter this year increased 3.4 percent year on year, Xi pointed out that the expansion is especially valuable against the background of the overall downward trend in the world economy. China and Russia should explore new flexible and diverse forms of cooperation amid regularized epidemic prevention and control measures, so as to continuously push forward bilateral cooperation, Xi said. He said he is confident that through the test of the pandemic, China-Russia strategic coordination will grow more resilient and robust, and the friendship between the two peoples will become stronger than before. For his part, Putin said the Chinese government and people, united as one, have made important achievements in preventing and controlling the coronavirus outbreak, and are providing support and assistance for many other countries fighting the disease. Since the epidemic broke out, Russia and China have always adhered to solidarity, cooperation and mutual support, which demonstrates the strategic nature and high level of Russia-China relations, he added. The attempts by some people to smear China on the origin of the novel coronavirus are unacceptable, stressed the Russian president. Russia, he said, stands ready to further strengthen exchanges and cooperation with China in various areas, including COVID-19 containment, and enhance bilateral communication and collaboration within such frameworks as the United Nations. The two heads of state also agreed to continue to maintain close contact through flexible and diverse means. ^ top ^

China says U.S. accusations in arms control report "not worth refuting" (Xinhua)
2010-03-16
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Thursday that accusations against China made in a U.S. report were groundless and not worth refuting. Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks after the U.S. State Department released an executive summary of the 2020 Arms Control Compliance Report Wednesday, accusing China of not complying with commitments to suspending nuclear testing and to non-proliferation, and questioning China's report on its implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC). Positioning itself as a judge and model, the United States has kept concocting the so-called annual "arms control compliance report" in recent years, in which it sticks its nose into other countries' arms control and non-proliferation policies and measures, Zhao told a press briefing. "This is confounding white with black. The guilty party is shifting the blame onto the innocent," he said. The Chinese side believes that as important pillars for maintaining international peace, security and stability, relevant treaties and mechanisms in arms control, non-proliferation should be observed and implemented, Zhao said. He stressed that China, with its earnest fulfillment of international obligations, firm commitment to multilateralism and active participation in international cooperation, has made important contributions to international arms control and non-proliferation systems, as well as global peace and security. In contrast, the United States has followed the principle of "America First," broken agreements and withdrawn from multilateral mechanisms in recent years, Zhao said. For example, the United States has pulled out the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and the Arms Trade Treaty. Meanwhile, it obstructed negotiations for a protocol with a verification regime of the BWC, failed to complete the destruction of its stockpiled chemical weapons, and intended to expand its military forces in an all-round way. These actions, which seriously undermined global strategic balance and stability and hindered international arms control and disarmament processes, are condemned by the international community, Zhao said, urging the U.S. side to reflect upon itself and stop pointing fingers. ^ top ^

China may have conducted banned nuclear test blasts, US says (SCMP)
2020-04-16
China may have secretly set off low-level underground nuclear test explosions despite claiming to observe an international pact banning such blasts, the US State Department said in a report on Wednesday that could fuel US-Chinese tensions. The finding, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, may worsen ties already strained by US charges that the global Covid-19 pandemic resulted from Beijing's mishandling of a 2019 outbreak of the coronavirus in the city of Wuhan. US concerns about Beijing's possible breaches of a "zero yield" standard for test blasts have been prompted by activities at China's Lop Nur nuclear test site throughout 2019, the State Department report said. Zero yield refers to a nuclear test in which there is no explosive chain reaction of the type ignited by the detonation of a nuclear warhead. "China's possible preparation to operate its Lop Nur test site year-round, its use of explosive containment chambers, extensive excavation activities at Lop Nur and a lack of transparency on its nuclear testing activities … raise concerns regarding its adherence to the zero yield standard," the report said, without providing evidence of a low-yield test. Beijing's lack of transparency included blocking data transmissions from sensors linked to a monitoring centre operated by the international agency that verifies compliance with a treaty banning nuclear test explosions. The 1996 Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) allows activities designed to ensure the safety of nuclear weapons. A spokeswoman for the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organisation, which verifies compliance with the pact, told The Wall Street Journal there had been no interruptions in data transmissions from China's five sensor stations since the end of August 2019 following an interruption that began in 2018. The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A senior US official said the concerns about China's testing activities buttressed President Donald Trump's case for getting China to join the United States and Russia in talks on an arms control accord to replace the 2010 New Start treaty between Washington and Moscow that expires in February. New Start restricted the United States and Russia to deploying no more than 1,550 nuclear warheads, the lowest level in decades, and limited the land- and submarine-based missiles and bombers that deliver them. "The pace and manner by which the Chinese government is modernising its stockpile is worrying, destabilising, and illustrates why China should be brought into the global arms control framework," said the senior US official on condition of anonymity. China, estimated to have about 300 nuclear weapons, has repeatedly rejected Trump's proposal, arguing its nuclear force is defensive and poses no threat. Russia, France and Britain – three of the world's five internationally recognised nuclear powers – signed and ratified the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, which still requires ratification by 44 countries to become international law. China and the United States are among eight signatories that have not ratified it. But China has declared its adherence to its terms, while the United States has observed a unilateral testing moratorium since 1992. ^ top ^

African debt to China may be solved through bilateral talks on the basis of equality (Global Times)
2010-03-16
The whole world is facing mounting pressure on pandemic prevention and consequent economic contraction as the novel coronavirus ripples across the planet. China, as a creditor of some African countries, has been called upon to offer debt relief which actually is not simple nor effective. What China could do to help is bring projects funded by loans back to life and realize sustainable profits, instead of measures as simple as offering write-offs. As always, China is open to talk with debtors on the basis of equality and mutual benefit. China, in fact, has been offering debt relief for African countries on two standards. Firstly, the country has been reducing or remitting debt for least developed countries evaluated by the UN, IMF and OECD's annual assessments, and secondly, write-offs for loans that only apply to interest-free loans. At the 2018 Beijing summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, China announced to cancel outstanding debts of the least-developed African countries, heavily indebted countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing states that have diplomatic relations with China. The pledge covered interest-free inter-governmental loans due by the end of 2018. There are three capital approaches for China's foreign assistance. The first is to grant which loans do not need to be paid back, the second is interest-free loans which are offered by the Chinese government and are applicable for debt relief. The last one is preferential loans for which the principle was raised by the Export-Import Bank of China through the market and set with lower interest rates. The gap of the interest rate would be subsidized by the Chinese government. The preferential loans are not applicable for debt relief and are more complex with regards to any difficult debt problems. Simply waiving debtors' obligations as some countries or organizations have called for is not going to be effective as a solution. If any debtors encounter difficulties to pay on time, there may be tailored plans including rescheduling or China increasing funding to help related projects resume operation and return profits. Also, preferential loans could only be issued for entities that are deemed to have the capability to make repayments, and related projects needed to be evaluated as profitable. Normally the loans have a grace period of 10-15 years and would not generate instant pressure to repay. Due to the commercial character of projects behind preferential loans, it has never been applicable for debt relief. However, any related difficulties regarding repayments could be solved by multiple financial or other approaches, such as China adding grants to help bring projects back to life, conducting debt-to-equity swaps, or hiring Chinese firms to assist operation. Just like repairing and enhancing a patient's hemopoietic system, adopting such measures to help the projects get back on track and gain profit has advantages over simply offering write-offs which may only solve issues on the surface and are unsustainable. In the 1970's, China offered a 980 million yuan low-interest rate loan for Africa's Tanzania-Zambia Railway project which encountered operation difficulties in 1993 and then was dealt with via debt restructuring, suspensions and later with a 50-percent debt exemption. Although preferential loans are not applicable for debt relief, China has never and will not force repayments which was clearly written in China's Eight Principles for Economic Aid and Technical Assistance to Other Countries issued in 1964. Any debt problem could be discussed by both sides and dealt with by tailored plans, which is the same as current circumstances under the pandemic, China is not asking any debtor to pay right away. The most critical task now is for all countries and entities to actively work together to combat the virus, instead of trying to blame any one side. China, at the same time, will try its best to assist African countries to fight against the outbreak, such as offering epidemic prevention materials, sending medical teams and assisting hospital construction. The author is a deputy director at the Ministry of Commerce's Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation who focuses on the study of Africa. ^ top ^

China, Africa in communication on situation of Africans in Guangdong: spokesperson (Xinhua)
2020-04-15
China said here Wednesday it is in close communication and friendly talks with the African side on the situation of Africans living in south China's Guangdong Province, reiterating that all foreigners are treated equally as Guangdong is enhancing anti-epidemic measures in the face of mounting pressure caused by imported cases of COVID-19. "Many African people living in Guangdong are gradually returning home for house quarantine while complying with the Chinese epidemic prevention regulations, and proper arrangements have been made for some African people who have difficulties, said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian at a press briefing. Zhao reiterated China's friendly policy toward Africa, saying China will not apply differential treatment to any special groups in epidemic prevention and control. Over the past few days, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi had a phone call with Chairperson of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat, Assistant Foreign Minister Chen Xiaodong held a group meeting with ambassadors and representatives from more than 20 African countries to discuss the situation of Africans in Guangdong Province with regard to the local COVID-19 response, and China's embassies in African countries were also engaged in active communication with the African side, the spokesperson said. Zhao noted that many African countries and African diplomats in China agree that Guangdong Province's measures are aimed at protecting the health of all Chinese people and foreigners, and that foreigners in Guangdong should cooperate and support the local anti-epidemic measures. According to Zhao, the African side appreciates China's serious consideration of its concerns and has noted the continuous improvement of the situation involving Africans in relevant areas in Guangdong Province. The African side will cooperate with China to guide citizens of African countries to abide by China's epidemic prevention regulations. "Many African friends pointed out that many videos related to China's anti-virus measures circulating on the internet were later discovered to have been edited, and did not portray the truth," said Zhao. "Both China and Africa must be vigilant against such online content that may mislead the public." ^ top ^

Twitter shuts Chinese diplomats' accounts, exposes double standard (Global Times)
2020-04-15
Chinese embassies and experts slammed the double-standard act of US social media platform that boasts for freedom of speech while serves the US' political interest after Twitter accounts of the Chinese Ambassador to Cyprus and the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka were suspended without any specific reason. On Monday, Twitter suspended the official account of Chinese Ambassador to Cyprus Huang Xingyuan and the account of the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka, without giving a specific reason. Ambassador Huang told the Global Times on Tuesday that "suspending accounts just for their different voices is a face-slapping act in a country boasting for 'democracy' and 'freedom of speech,' and exposes the US' narrow mind-set and lack of confidence." Huang opened his account in March and has grabbed wide attention with more than 1,000 followers and interacted actively with officials of Cyprus including the country's president Nicos Anastasiades. His most popular tweet was read 25,400 times and received 420 likes and 141 retweets. The account of the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka was restored after it made solemn representations twice to the platform. The embassy issued a statement on Tuesday saying "freedom of speech must be honored and it should not be misused to spread groundless, racist or hate speech, nor be treated with 'double standards.'" Twitter later said the suspension was a "systematic mistake." Shen Yi, director of the Research Center for Cyberspace Governance under Fudan University in Shanghai, slammed the platform's double standard, saying that "Twitter appears as a public platform but has a private nature, which serves only the interests of the US as a US company." Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese diplomats are fighting back against groundless accusations and stigmatization of China through sharper diplomatic tones and hard-line comments. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokespersons Zhao Lijian and Hua Chunying have been active in engaging with other users and post almost every day about data and fact-based Chinese war against the pandemic. Shen told the Global Times on Tuesday that China, with an emerging role in the world and becoming more active in diplomacy, may have to get prepared to cope with such unequal treatment in the long term and further boost the communication tactics of telling China's story to the world. China has been playing an active role in helping the international community and offering Chinese experience in the fight against the COVID-19. But some anti-China groups continue to spread rumors and distort facts, trying to blame the pandemic on China to cover their own failures, he said. ^ top ^

Chinese oil survey ship returns to disputed waters off Vietnam amid coronavirus pandemic (SCMP)
2020-04-13
A Chinese ship embroiled in a stand-off with Vietnamese vessels last year has returned to waters near Vietnam as the United States accused China of pushing its presence in the South China Sea while other claimants are pre-occupied with the coronavirus. Vietnamese vessels last year spent months shadowing the Chinese Haiyang Dizhi 8 survey vessel in resource-rich waters that are a potential global flashpoint as the US challenges China's sweeping maritime claims. On Tuesday, the ship, which is used for offshore seismic surveys, appeared again 158km off Vietnam's coast, within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ), flanked by at least one Chinese coastguard vessel, according to data from Marine Traffic, a website that tracks shipping. At least three Vietnamese vessels were moving with the Chinese ship, according to data issued by the Marine Traffic site. The presence of the Haiyang Dizhi 8 in Vietnam's EEZ comes towards the scheduled end of a 15-day nationwide lockdown in Vietnam aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus. It also follows the sinking of a Vietnamese fishing boat near islands in the disputed waters this month, an act that drew a protest from Vietnam and accusations that China had violated its sovereignty and threatened the lives of its fishermen. The US, which last month sent an aircraft carrier to the central Vietnamese port of Da Nang, said it was "seriously concerned" about China's reported sinking of the vessel. "We call on the PRC to remain focused on supporting international efforts to combat the global pandemic, and to stop exploiting the distraction or vulnerability of other states to expand its unlawful claims in the South China Sea," the US State Department said in a statement, referring to China. The Philippines, which also has disputed claims in the South China Sea, has raised its concerns too. On Saturday, the Global Times, published by the official People's Daily newspaper of China's ruling Communist Party, said Vietnam had used the fishing boat incident to distract from its "ineptitude" in handling the coronavirus. Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Helped by a mass quarantine and aggressive contact-tracing, Vietnam has recorded 265 cases of the novel coronavirus and no deaths. Nearly 122,000 coronavirus tests have been carried out in Vietnam. China and Vietnam have for years been at loggerheads over the potentially energy-rich waters, called the East Sea by Vietnam. China's U-shaped "nine-dash line" on its maps marks a vast expanse of the waters that it claims, including large parts of Vietnam's continental shelf where it has awarded oil concessions. Malaysia and Brunei claim some of the waters that China claims to the south. During the stand-off last year, at least one Chinese coastguard vessel spent weeks in waters close to an oil rig in a Vietnamese oil block, operated by Russia's Rosneft, while the Haihyang Dizhi 8 conducted suspected oil exploration surveys in large expanses of Vietnam's EEZ. "The deployment of the vessel is Beijing's move to once again baselessly assert its sovereignty in the South China Sea," said Ha Hoang Hop, at the Singapore-based ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. "China is using the coronavirus distraction to increase its assertiveness in the South China Sea, at a time when the US and Europe are struggling to cope with the new coronavirus." ^ top ^

Courts come down hard against outbreak prevention violations (China Daily)
2010-03-15
Chinese courts have demanded increased efforts in hearing criminal cases where people disturbed prevention of the novel coronavirus by hiding their health condition and traveling, in a bid to keep the outbreak control in order, China's top court said on Wednesday. As of Monday, courts across the country have heard 1,946 criminal cases of disturbances relating to the outbreak. Of these 1,196 have been concluded, according to statistics provided by the Supreme People's Court, the nation's top court. It also revealed eight influential cases as a threat to the public, showing how serious the disturbance was and clarifying what criminal punishments the defendants were given. On March 17, for example, a defendant surnamed Gou was sentenced to one year in prison by Huangzhong County People's Court in Qinghai province for disturbing the prevention of infectious diseases after he did not truthfully report his travel from Wuhan, the city hardest-hit by COVID-19 in Hubei province. Gou, with his son, went back to a township in Xining, capital of Qinghai after taking a train from Wuhan on Jan 16. But the next day, he did not register his travel to his residential committee in line with provincial prevention rules. On Jan 24, the township hospital called to learn his health condition and ask if he had been to Wuhan recently, but he did not tell the truth. A day later, when doctors from the hospital asked, he continued intentionally hiding his travel to Wuhan, adding he had been home for more than 40 days. On Jan 30, Gou was confirmed to be infected with COVID-19, but he still denied his travel and refused to say what he did after returning. Due to his behavior, more than 900 people who had close contract with Gou had to be quarantined, and some of his relatives were also confirmed to have contracted the disease after medical observation. "Gou knew he should truthfully report his Wuhan-related travel to local health authority, but he did not do that. Instead, he hid the facts, causing many others to be quarantined or even infected, which has brought serious effects to the public health security," the court said, adding this was why he was given a prison sentence. The top court ordered courts at all levels to harshly crack down such criminals, "as their cover-up not only harms others, but also brings great risk of the virus spreading". Given the country is still fighting the battle against COVID-19, such offenders must be given criminal punishments. ^ top ^

Temporary hospital in Wuhan completes mission (China Daily)
2010-03-15
Leishenshan Hospital, built as a temporary facility for treating patients infected with novel coronavirus pneumonia in China's hardest-hit city, Wuhan, Hubei province, is set to close on Wednesday. The last four patients, who now test negative for the novel coronavirus but remain critically ill with other illnesses, were transferred on Tuesday to Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University for further treatment. The temporary hospital, built in less than two weeks in response to the public health emergency and having a capacity of 1,500 beds, has fulfilled its mission, according to the hospital's president, Wang Xinghuan, who is also the president of Zhongnan Hospital. Since opening on Feb 8, the hospital admitted 2,011 patients infected with COVID-19, with serious cases accounting for about 45 percent, Wang said, adding that the hospital's overall mortality rate was about 2.3 percent. "We achieved fairly good results in treating the patients and saving lives, even on a global scale," he said. "This was made possible thanks to the united efforts of the more than 3,000 medical workers from 286 hospitals from around the country." After being thoroughly disinfected, the hospital will remain on standby and will not be dismantled, Wang said. Yuan Yufeng, vice-president of Leishenshan Hospital, said the four transferred patients－one 80 years old, two in their 70s and one 31－will be treated in a ward of Zhonghan Hospital's intensive care unit, and they will be separated from other patients in the hospital. Leishenshan Hospital and Huoshenshan Hospital have been hailed as a "miracle" in China's fight against the contagion. Huoshenshan Hospital, in the western suburbs of Wuhan, was built in 10 days. Wuhan authorities decided to build the two medical facilities because other hospitals in the city that were designated to treat coronavirus patients were stretched to capacity in late January. Shortly after the outbreak, huge numbers of patients flocked to Wuhan hospitals, which were struggling to prevent medical workers from being exposed to the virus. Many hospitals said they were running short of protective equipment and appealed online to the public for help. More than 34,000 workers from around the country and over 4,000 managers worked around-the-clock to build the hospitals to supplement the overstretched care facilities. The temporary facilities－modeled on Xiaotangshan Hospital in Beijing, which was built in a week during the 2003 SARS outbreak－played a key role in containing Wuhan's coronavirus outbreak. ^ top ^

TCM drugs approved to treat virus (China Daily)
2010-03-16
The Chinese government has acknowledged the important role TCM has played in treating COVID-19 patients and has added treatment of the virus to the specifications of three traditional medicines, a top TCM expert said on Wednesday. Zhang Boli, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and president of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said the three Chinese patent medicines－Jinhua Qinggan Granule, Lianhua Qingwen Capsule and Xuebijing Injection－have proved clinically effective in treating COVID-19. Adding the treatment of COVID-19 to the specifications of the three medicines means they can be widely used across the country to treat patients, Zhang said. One of the three medicines, Lianhua Qingwen capsule, has won approval to enter the Thai market, and French researchers plan to conduct clinical research into using it to treat patients, he said. "After more than two months of clinical research, we have chosen the three medicines out of hundreds of TCM medicines that are effective in treating cold and flu," he said. "By introducing the medicines abroad, we hope that they can save more people as the pandemic continues to worsen globally," he said. Li Yu, director of the Department of Science and Technology at the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said Jinhua Qinggan Granule, developed during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, is effective in treating mild and moderate COVID-19 patients. Lianhua Qingwen capsule is also effective in treating mild and moderate patients, especially in improving symptoms like fever, cough and fatigue. Xuebijing Injection is often used in treating severe and critically ill patients. It can increase the recovery rate and reduce the deterioration rate, Li said at a news conference on Tuesday. Two TCM prescriptions－Lung Cleansing and Detoxifying Decoction, and Huashibaidu Formula－have been approved by the National Medical Products Administration for clinical trials, he said. Lung Cleansing and Detoxifying Decoction is suitable for patients with light, moderate or severe symptoms, Li said. Wang Rongbing, director physician with Beijing Ditan Hospital, said the prescription has been used at 28 provincial regions in treating COVID-19 patients in all stages with various symptoms, yielding good outcomes. None of the 1,265 confirmed cases in 66 designated hospitals in 10 provincial regions that have used the prescription has shown worsened symptoms. Ninety-eight percent of patients had been discharged by March 23, Wang said at a news conference in March. ^ top ^

China to focus on asymptomatic patients as 50% of confirmed cases show no symptoms: top medical expert (Global Times)
2010-03-16
China still faces challenges from imported coronavirus cases and asymptomatic patients, which are now two major focuses, especially as about 50 percent of patients do not show clinical symptoms like fever, Zhong Nanshan, the country's top medical expert, told a videoconference with European medical experts on Thursday. The overall outbreak has been brought under control, Zhong said, noting that the big challenge is the imported cases that increase pressure on border regions. "Hopefully, countries like Spain, Italy and France can soon flatten the curve; after that, the infection numbers would drop," he said at the videoconference supported by Tencent and GE Healthcare on Thursday. China needs to implement effective measures and social distancing, and once a confirmed patient is found, all their relatives and family members as well as close contacts should be isolated, the medical expert noted. Countries need to strike a balance between resumption of work and prevention and control work. If strict controls lead to a halt in economic activities it would also be a major problem, but countries should always put human life in first place, Zhong said. Given the rise of asymptomatic patients, Zhong said Chinese authorities are paying attention to the matter, which has been reflected in the data released. "About 50 percent of patients don't show symptoms. Cough and fatigue might be the first symptoms to appear," he said. China has so far reported a total of 6,764 asymptomatic infections, of whom 1,297 were later classified as confirmed patients, according to the National Health Commission on Wednesday. ^ top ^

Who is behind the fake news of 'discrimination' against Africans in China? (Global Times)
2010-03-16
Despite being at the height of global epidemic fight, a bunch of sensational posts and one-sided stories have appeared on social media and in some Western media of what they call revelation of China's discrimination against African people. Most of the content surrounded law enforcement in China's Guangdong Province during epidemic control over foreign residents in the city of Guangzhou, but the stories by such posts are far deviant from what really happened in the city, as city authorities have announced. Some African media reported in recent days that Africans living in Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong Province, have been badly treated and evicted from their houses when the city was in the midst of strict prevention against COVID-19. As seeming proof of these allegations, videos of Chinese people having fights with African people in the streets of Chinese cities, Africans living in China going to the media to share their experience of discrimination, screenshots of Chinese netizens' racist comments with English translations… have all appeared on African countries' news outlets, overseas social media platforms and Western media soon after the incident in Guangzhou was reported. Who is behind the fragmented video clips and partial stories of discrimination that have suddenly surfaced on overseas social media, especially on Twitter? By digging into a large number of accounts that hype up the current tensions between China and African countries, the Global Times found that some African media, having been deeply influenced by biased reports from Western media, only chose to tell one-sided stories when reporting on China. Anti-government politicians in some African countries are stirring up discord over Chinese cities' anti-epidemic management; overseas anti-China groups and Hong Kong separatists are zealously leading discussions toward criticism of the Chinese government, and many zombie accounts have been created to spread fake videos to fuel the idea of "China's discrimination" against Africans. Adding more fuel to the accusations that China was "discriminating" against Africans, a bunch of Twitter accounts registered in April and claiming to be from Africans studying in China had emerged, spreading many unconfirmed videos and rumors, the Global Times found. One Twitter account named "A Nigerian in China" was registered in April, whose posts included claims that Chinese in Africa "rape our women, exploit our children and laugh at our men." Videos reposted by the account were sensational and misleading. For example, one video shows the hands of a person taking tubes of blood from another person, accompanied by the post: "This is what really happening in China today, pls those in medical what kind of test require this amount of blood from a person?" However, there is no any information from the video that proves the veracity of the post. It is quite obvious that such Twitter accounts have no other purpose but to sow discord between China and African countries. Another Twitter account, "Citizen of Nigeria," which has a similar profile photo with "A Nigerian in China," was also found to be posting fake news. For example, it posted on April 14 that one of the Chinese doctors aiding Nigeria tested positive for coronavirus and escaped from the site where he was being isolated. However, the Global Times learned from people close to the Chinese medical team in Nigeria that the doctor is currently under quarantine and no COVID-19 infection has been reported. Authorities in Guangzhou said the city has taken the same prevention measures for all foreigners and arranged for foreigners to undergo quarantine in designated hotels. A number of Twitter accounts have been spreading misinformation online regardless of the reports from Guangzhou authorities. The accounts of Hong Kong secessionists, who write the "Five Demands" on their introductions, were also found to be involved in the hyping of the incidents and trying to drive a wedge between China and African countries. "Demosisto", an activist group established by Hong Kong separatists, including Joshua Wong Chi-fung, released posts on Twitter to hype the incident in Guangzhou. One of the posts reads "Thousands of Kenyan and African workers are now racially discriminated in Guangzhou. They are kicked out of their houses and forced to sleep on streets in chilly nights, with no food and water." Some Western media and US politicians are also taking the idea of "China's discrimination against Africa" to a new level. CNN and its Africa channel, as well as the Washington Post, carried some reports on the incidents in Guangzhou, using sensational pictures of people sleeping in the streets. US politicians were also involved. "Chinese authorities must stop this abuse of Africans living and studying in China," US State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a tweet. China and African countries have always supported each other, and during the pandemic the Chinese government and enterprises have donated medical supplies to the continent. However, Western media have a great influence on many media in African countries and their unbalanced China reports also affect local media's understanding of China. A senior reporter from Nigeria's newspaper Daily Trust said that Western media are too powerful - they not only slander China on mainstream media in African countries, but also pull some celebrities to their side. They also use social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook and Whatsapp to stir "anti-China" emotions among Africans. When the partial news of "Kenyans being discriminated against in Guangzhou" appeared in Kenya, local media made expansive coverage of the incident, creating the hashtag "ChinaMustExplain" on social media. Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria, a politician in Kenya, was quoted by Kenyans.co.ke as saying that all Chinese nationals should leave the country immediately. Kuria's sentiments were echoed by Narok Senator Ledama OleKina, which also drew him some followers on Twitter after many reposted his remarks and made anti-China comments. Amid all the politicians' rhetoric, the other side of the story was missed - the authorities in Guangzhou and Chinese ambassadors in a number of African countries reiterated that equal policies are in place for both foreigners and Chinese nationals in screening for imported cases of COVID-19. Some Africans living in the city also tried to clear up the misunderstanding, saying the allegations of discrimination are not true and calling on all foreigners to abide by local prevention regulations. Analysts said that some politicians in Kenya have a tradition of exploiting the issue of debt to China and are using local people's anxiety over the pandemic to make personal political gains and influence people's feelings toward China. Some people in China also take the responsibility for igniting confrontations related to the Guangzhou incident. According to a release from Sina Weibo on Wednesday, a total of 180 accounts that released contents of discrimination, were suspended. The platform also reminds users that anyone that spreads false information and stirs up racism would have their accounts shut down. There are people in Africa who want to know more about the Guangzhou incident but are deceived by biased reports into reposting some of the fake news and videos. However, there are still many people speaking out on Twitter and in reality to share the true stories with the world. A Twitter account "Duapa Africa Group" which offers training to African students in China and releases photos of their activities in China, recently shared stories of African students in Beijing living a normal life during quarantine. Yahyal, a Nigerian who graduated from East China University of Political Science and Law, told the Global Times that the current small rifts occurring in Guangzhou are due to misunderstandings. There are many African people doing business in Guangzhou and some of them may have overstayed their visas. During Guangzhou's epidemic prevention work, these people are worried about being found. The current control over the epidemic in China is hard-won and should not be defeated by imported cases, Yahyal said, adding that he totally understood that China has the right to implement strict regulations to prevent the coronavirus, and urged Nigerians not to be incited by some Western media. ^ top ^

Reopened Wuhan sees over 660,000 inbound and outbound passengers in first week (China Daily)
2020-04-16
The number of inbound and outbound passengers in coronavirus-hit Wuhan has exceeded 660,000 since the megacity lifted outbound travel restrictions on April 8, said local authorities Wednesday. Among the passengers, 325,000 people have entered Wuhan by train, air and bus, while 336,000 people have left. The number of urban public transport passengers has reached 5.08 million, according to the city's transport department. Over the past week, the city has resumed the operation of railways, airport, highways and parts of public transport lines in an orderly manner, said Liu Ziqing, deputy mayor of Wuhan. At present, Wuhan has reopened 17 railway stations and all domestic flights except flights to Beijing. The inner provincial services of nine long-distance coach stations have been restored. Meanwhile, 346 bus routes, seven subway lines and 15,000 taxis have resumed operations, according to local authorities. The airport in Wuhan has seen 949 flights and the passenger throughput has reached 41,000 trips since the city's lockdown was lifted. The airport has been thoroughly disinfected twice a day, and key areas have been also disinfected every two hours, said Zhou Xueyun, general manager of Hubei Airport Group. Liu Nanhua, deputy chief of the city's public security bureau, said the city has seen the number of vehicles in transit return to 80 percent of normal levels since April 8. ^ top ^

Two sessions expected in May as dates of local meetings are announced (Global Times)
2020-04-15
Experts said the Chinese national "two sessions," which is a significant event on the political calendar to form guidance strategies for the year, could be postponed to May or even early June, while it is reasonable for local "two sessions" to be held soon as the country has basically brought the COVID-19 epidemic under control. Against the backdrop of the pandemic, the commencement of the local "two sessions" has a critical meaning for governments that are making comprehensive strategies for the country amid the great uncertainties brought about by the pandemic, experts said. Wenzhou in East China's Zhejiang Province announced it would hold its local two sessions - Wenzhou Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the People's Congress of Wenzhou - on April 21 and 22. Zhou Dewen, director of the Zhejiang Private Investment Enterprise Association, said that Wenzhou, as one of the earliest cities to conduct prevention measures in late January, has done a great job in containing the COVID-19 outbreak and resuming production, which has paved the way for it to hold the meetings and make plans for the year sooner. Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province, announced it would hold its local two sessions in late April. As of the end of Monday, Zhejiang reported a total of 1,267 infections, with 1,242 patients having been discharged and one death, according to the Health Commission of Zhejiang Province. It would be reasonable for cities to hold their local two sessions if there have been 15 days without new reported infections and all confirmed COVID-19 patients have recovered and been discharged from hospitals, Luo Yameng, a Beijing-based urban planning and management expert, told the Global Times on Tuesday. As the country has achieved a decisive victory in containing the novel coronavirus, local two sessions across the country will commence in the near future, Xu Hongcai, an economist at the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, told the Global Times on Tuesday. Like the reopening of schools, the commencement of the local two sessions is a manifestation of bringing the epidemic under control, but it is more important as a critical step to review the government's work of the previous year and hear its plans for the current year, especially as the pandemic rips through the world, Zhou said. It is critical for local governments to launch the meetings soon on the premise of sound prevention measures, since further postponement will make the annual strategies less effective, Zhou stressed. In the meantime, although local two sessions are major political events in provinces and municipalities that pave the way for the national two sessions in Beijing, analysts and some NPC deputies and CPPCC members contacted by the Global Times said they have not been notified of a new date for the national two sessions, which are normally held in March. "Currently, Beijing faces mounting pressure in preventing imported infections and a possible second wave of infections, and lacks the conditions to hold such an event," Wang Hongwei, a professor at the Renmin University of China's School of Public Administration and Policy, told the Global Times on Tuesday. Luo said the surge in imported case in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province would not affect planning of the national two sessions. Suifenhe in Heilongjiang is a local situation and will not be a key factor in determining the schedule. Luo said the national "two sessions" could be expected to be held in late May or June. But with special prevention measures for the two sessions, a date in early May could be expected, according to Zhou. Zhang Shuhua, director of the Institute of Political Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences who is also a CPPCC National Committee member, said the national two sessions are expected to be scheduled at the end of April and beginning of May in Beijing. The city's decision to re-open schools starting on April 27 is also a significant point. Bai Ming, deputy director of the Ministry of Commerce's International Market Research Institute, said this year's focus of the national two sessions will be the pandemic's influence on China this year, and in the next five years. ^ top ^

Chinese premier proposes fast-track lane for essential personnel on urgent visits (China Daily)
2020-04-14
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday proposed opening a "fast-track lane" for essential personnel on urgent visits in the fields of commerce, logistics, production and technological services among the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea. Li made the remarks in Beijing while attending a special summit of ASEAN, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ASEAN Plus Three or APT) on COVID-19 via video link. The fast-track lane should be opened with all the necessary control measures in place, said Li, noting that this will be conducive to maintaining the necessary flow of people and goods and stabilizing the industrial and supply chains. Li pointed out that the APT countries need to leverage their strengths in economic complementarity and strong business ties to further ease tariffs, eliminate barriers, boost the flow of trade and investment, and keep markets open to each other, in an effort to restore growth in East Asia as quickly as possible. ^ top ^

Coronavirus: China bans two medical equipment exporters for 'tarnishing the country's image' (SCMP)
2020-04-14
Beijing has banned two companies from exporting medical equipment after they were found to be selling poor quality products and "seriously tarnishing China's national image". Shenzhen-based Aibaoda Technology and Beijing-based Tus Data Asset, two little known players in the medical equipment industry, will no longer be able to export products relating to the control of Covid-19 after overseas buyers returned their goods, the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement on Monday. The ban is the latest bid by China to crack down on faulty medical exports and comes amid a flurry of bad headlines about defective masks and testing kits shipped to Europe and the United States, which now account for more than 80 per cent of the world's nearly 2 million coronavirus infections. The ministry did not offer details on the faulty equipment sold by the two companies, but neither had worked with medical products until recently. Aibaoda, a 15-employee company backed by Taiwanese audiovisual firm Aipo International, previously sold earphones, microphones and loudspeakers, while Tus Data Asset developed blockchain technology and electronic equipment. "We started to export masks not long ago … we were not exporting any medical supplies other than masks," an Aibaoda spokesman, who only gave his surname Li, told the South China Morning Post. "We don't manufacture masks, we just bought the masks from somewhere else and exported them." The company expanded its business in February to sell masks, disinfectants, protective suits, safety goggles, disposable gloves, thermometers and other medical equipment to cash in on soaring demand, although it did not make the products, according to the spokesman. The company joined hundreds of other Chinese firms in virtually transforming their businesses overnight to supply or manufacture medical equipment as the virus spread around the globe in March. Many companies were lured by the commercial opportunity, which was supported by the Chinese government through subsidies, lower taxes, interest-free loans and fast-tracked approvals to increase manufacturing capacity. Before the outbreak, China made about half of the world's supply of masks, at a rate of 20 million units a day, according to the state planning agency. That jumped to 116 million units at the end of February. The second company subject to the ban, Tus Data Asset, was controlled by the state-owned Tus Shareholdings. Company registration records show Tus Data Asset changed its business model on March 23 to include the sale of medical equipment. The company did not reply to requests for comment. The commerce ministry said the two companies have "distorted the order" of China's exports and the ban follows a decision last week that all shipments of medical equipment would be subject to a mandatory customs inspection. China, the world's largest producer of face masks and protective gowns, has come under fire over the export of defective medical gear recently. In late March, Dutch officials recalled 600,000 masks manufactured in China because they did not meet standards for adequate filter performance or proper fit. Spain stopped using rapid Covid-19 test kits made by a Chinese company after research showed it was not accurate enough. Turkey has also said a number of sample test kits were faulty, while the Czech Republic said that up to 80 per cent an order of 300,000 rapid coronavirus test kits did not work properly. In April, Australia seized 800,000 counterfeit masks that arrived from China by air, although most products had passed Australian regulations. ^ top ^

Coronavirus: green light for human trials on two more Chinese vaccine hopefuls (SCMP)
2020-04-13
China has approved two more vaccine candidates for human trials in a global race to find a way to prevent a coronavirus that has already killed nearly 120,000 people. In all, 70 potential coronavirus vaccines are in development around the world, with three already being tested on humans, according to the World Health Organisation. China's National Medical Products Administration has given approval to Wuhan Institute of Biological Products, under state-owned China National Pharmaceutical, and Sinovac Research & Development in Beijing, to conduct a trial combining the first two phases, state news agency Xinhua reported on Tuesday. The two candidates are both inactivated vaccines, or viruses that have been grown in culture without the capacity to induce disease but with the ability to trigger an immune defence against a real infection. "The advantages of such vaccines is that there is a well-developed production process, controllable quality standards and wide protection scope," the report said. In 2004, Sinovac developed a potential vaccine for severe acute respiratory syndrome, or Sars, a virus that shares about 80 per cent of the gene structure of Sars-Cov-2, the coronavirus that causes the disease Covid-19. The company completed phase one clinical trials for the vaccine candidate but did not proceed because there was no longer a Sars outbreak in mainland China. The company developed the world's first H1N1 influenza vaccine in 2009 amid a global pandemic. Wuhan Institute of Biological Products, a state-owned company, was hit by a scandal in 2018 for producing and selling substandard diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus vaccines for children. In China, vaccine clinical trials are carried out in three phases. The first one involves a small group of volunteers to test whether the candidate is safe and can trigger an immune response, while the second one involves tests on hundreds of people to determine the best vaccination plan. The third phase is to test the vaccine's safety and effectiveness on a bigger group of people. The announcement about the two new clinical trials comes just days after another potential vaccine developed by Tianjin-based CanSino Biologics and the Academy of Military Medical Sciences' Institute of Biotechnology, entered the second phase of human trials. US biotech start-up Moderna started the world's first clinical trial in mid-March, and Inovio Pharmaceuticals is partnering with Beijing Advaccine Biotechnology in China for its first human trials. China National Pharmaceutical said it had allocated 1 billion yuan (US$142 million) for vaccine development on January 19. Another candidate, a genetically engineered vaccine, was also under development, it said. Sinovac started to develop its inactivated vaccine in late January, days after the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention isolated the first strain of the coronavirus. It started animal trials on March 3 and has recruited participants for the human trials. Substantial government support has helped to fast-track the vaccine projects. The Beijing municipal government allocated funds and helped find P3 level biosafety laboratories across the country for Sinovac to do its research. It also helped to rapidly find facilities to produce the vaccine, Beijing Daily reported last week. The national drug regulator has also been prepared for early approval of coronavirus vaccines. Expert teams were involved from the early stages and updated on progress, Xinhua reported. ^ top ^

When classes start again, masks required (China Daily)
2010-03-14
School teachers and students in Beijing will be required to wear masks at all times when new semester starts, under a rule issued by the capital's education authorities on Monday. The Beijing Municipal Education Commission said in a circular that surgical masks are must-have items for teachers when giving lessons at school. It added that the disinfection of classroom floors, study lounges and labs should be conducted twice daily, and used tissues and face masks should be placed in special trash cans with people assigned for clean-up. If the novel coronavirus is confirmed or suspected in a school, an emergency response plan must be launched and measures such as a suspension of classes or even closing the school would be taken to guarantee the safety and health of students and teachers, the notice said. A relatively closed class management method will be adopted at the start of the new semester, the authorities said. All classes will set different times for breaks, meals or leaving school to reduce interaction as much as possible between students. Parents must leave the school immediately after picking up their children to avoid clustering, the notice said. A specific designated area for parents to wait for their children to finish class is to be maintained in front of each school gate, ensuring the safety of every parent and student. Education authorities in the capital said on Sunday that high school seniors will go back to class on April 27, and students in their final year of primary school will return on May 11. Return dates for students in other grades in Beijing have not been specified yet. ^ top ^

Beijing schools prepare for reopening with emergency plans (Global Times)
2020-04-14
China's capital is preparing cautiously to resume classes for graduating students at middle and high schools as the epidemic ebbs, and some students and teachers told the Global Times they are confident that cluster infections in schools are unlikely. Most other provinces and cities will reopen schools at the end of April as China has reported near zero domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases since March. Only Hubei Province, the hardest-hit region, has yet to announce reopening dates. The Beijing Municipal Commission of Education on Monday posted answers to the top 30 questions regarding school resumption. It said on Sunday that graduating students in high schools will return on April 27, and graduating students at middle schools will return on May 11. Beijing requires teachers to wear masks in classrooms, and students to wear masks all time in schools, said the commission. All students and teachers will undergo temperature checks before they enter the campus. Anyone with a fever will be first put under observation at temporary checkpoints and sent to a hospital if necessary. Inside schools, students and faculty members should also take temperature checks twice a day. Schools will establish a health tracking system to report students' and teachers' health conditions to Beijing authorities. Schools will launch an emergency plan immediately if any suspected or confirmed COVID-19 case occurs, and they will suspend classes or even close the school to ensure the safety of students and faculty members, said the commission. The father of a senior student at the High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China died of COVID-19 in late January after attending parents' meetings, triggering fear of cluster infections in the school. The school later confirmed no other teachers and students were infected. Students, parents and teachers interviewed by the Global Times on Monday said they are optimistic that Beijing, which is still at the highest-level response for the COVID-19 epidemic, can prevent a resurgence of infections. A senior class teacher surnamed Liu in a key middle school in Beijing told the Global Times on Monday that he and his students expect to return to school and prepare for the senior high school entrance examination this July. Liu and his students are not concerned about infection risks as they trust the government and schools, he said. Liu said that his school has offered teachers supplies including masks, goggles and disinfectants. The school has regularly sanitized its campus since February and offered psychological consultations to both students and teachers, he said. "I told my students about protective measures to be taken after school resumes through livestreaming classes, such as wearing masks and replacing hand touches with nods," Liu said. Some parents expressed confidence in the capital's ability to prevent transmissions in schools, but they also said one can't be too careful. A father of a Beijing No.8 Middle School student suggested that schools should restrict the number of students in each classroom so that students would have enough space to maintain physical distance. Zhong Nanshan, who heads a Chinese team of top experts advising the central government on its handling of the virus, said on Friday that schools are likely to open by the end of April. As the disease can't be completely eliminated, reopening schools will be possible as long as there isn't a large-scale outbreak, he said. ^ top ^

Xinjiang to invest big on building 5G network (China Daily)
2020-04-14
The communication operators in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region will spend nearly 1.44 billion yuan (about $204 million) on building 4,010 5G base stations this year. The technology will be first applied in the industrial parks and tourist sites across the region, according to the regional communications administration. In 2019, Xinjiang's information and communication industry invested 126 million yuan in building 518 5G demonstration and commercial pilot stations. Urumqi, the regional capital, became one of the first 5G cities in China last October. By the end of this year, the number of 5G base stations in Xinjiang will reach 4,528, including 2,212 in Urumqi. Xinjiang has more than 20 million mobile Internet users, and over 69,600 5G package users by the end of February. ^ top ^

Hong Kong activists Joshua Wong and Agnes Chow mount legal challenge over warrants obtained by police to search phones and Facebook office (SCMP)
2010-03-16
Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong Chi-fung and an associate mounted a legal challenge on Thursday, complaining that four court warrants earlier granted to police to access their phones and personal information at the city's Facebook office had trampled on their privacy. Wong and Agnes Chow Ting also argued that because of the vague wording in the warrants, police could exploit a loophole that would lead to more than 3,700 phones belonging to other protesters being searched, causing wider breaches. According to a court document made available on Thursday, their lawyers argued that the pair's privacy should have been protected by the Bill of Rights and the city's mini-constitution, the Basic Law. It named three magistrates who signed off on the warrants – two at Kwun Tong Court and one from Eastern – as defendants along with the commissioner of police. A Facebook spokesman denied offering any personal data to police. "To our knowledge, Hong Kong police have not attended Facebook offices in relation to this matter," the spokesman added. The address listed on the warrant was also not the present one of the social media firm. The two activists had their phones seized when they were arrested on August 30 last year for offences relating to an unauthorised assembly outside Wan Chai police headquarters on June 21, in a precursor to the anti-government protests that later gripped Hong Kong for months and which were sparked by a now-withdrawn extradition bill. Wong and Chow have since been charged with organising an unauthorised assembly, inciting others to take part and participating in it themselves. The court document said between September and November, police had applied for three warrants to search their Wan Chai headquarters, where the phones were kept, and one for Facebook's office in Quarry Bay, to access records of Chow's account and a post on her page. The pair argued the magistrates should not have granted the warrants because police had failed to specify details of the offence, including alleged location, during their applications. They added that because police had not provided the identities of the suspects, they could possibly use the warrants to access 3,721 mobile phones that police had seized from other protesters and stored with theirs at the force's headquarters. The warrants also failed to define the scope of the search to limit the number of times police were allowed to examine the devices, unlike conventional ones which were issued each time physical premises were searched. "The violation of privacy rights is all the more pronounced," the document said. The lack of a purview also meant police could go beyond what was kept on the phone and access information the pair stored in the internet through "cloud" services. The pair urged the High Court to rule that the warrants were unlawful. The court has yet to set a date for the case to be heard. The Department of Justice would not comment on the case, a spokesman said. In January, a 22-year-old photographer, Lee Wing-ho, lodged an almost identical challenge, arguing that two magistrates had failed to perform their "gatekeeping function" when granting two warrants to search police headquarters, where his phone, along with another 50 devices belonging to others, was stored. He was initially charged over an unlawful assembly in Mong Kok, but the charge was later withdrawn. In another controversial case involving access of suspects' mobile phones, the Court of Appeal ruled earlier this month that police should be allowed to tap into digital devices without a warrant when they decided an immediate search was necessary but obtaining a court order was not immediately practicable. It overturned the lower court's ruling that police could only carry out such searches without a warrant under "exigent circumstances". ^ top ^

Man admits to hurling petrol bombs outside two Hong Kong police stations, pleads guilty to raft of offences, including drug possession (SCMP)
2010-03-16
A jobless man admitted in court to hurling petrol bombs outside two police stations in Hong Kong last year, pleading guilty to a raft of offences including drug possession. The District Court heard that Lucas Chong Yam-miu threw an ignited bottle of petrol at a police van which was passing the force's headquarters in Wan Chai in the early hours of June 7. The vehicle dodged the projectile, leaving the bottle shattered and burning on the ground. Later that afternoon, the 25-year-old hurled another fire bomb at Happy Valley Police Station, setting its entrance ablaze and costing the force HK$2,500 in repairs. Officers arrested Chong the same day in a North Point flat. After he was taken to North Point Police Station, Chong had a violent struggle with officers. Subsequent investigations revealed Chong had kept in his car small traces of ketamine and a sleeping pill, a restricted medication in Hong Kong. He also did not have a valid licence for the vehicle and failed to display its registration plate. However, prosecutors said outside court that there was no evidence to show his offences stemmed from the anti-government protests triggered by the now-withdrawn extradition bill. On Thursday, Chong pleaded guilty to nine counts before District Judge Pang Chung-ping, including arson, possession of drugs, resisting officers and traffic offences. He will remain in custody until he is sentenced on May 19. Chong, who worked for a car-cleaning company before becoming unemployed, had five previous convictions, mostly violence-related. Defence lawyer Oliver Davies said in mitigation that Chong did not cause serious, long-lasting damages to the police properties or to passers-by near the scenes. He said Chong had struggled with psychiatric problems for years and had been receiving treatment. "I would simply say that the defendant is a sick man. He is simply remorseful," Davies said, adding that Chong was willing to continue his treatment at Siu Lam Psychiatric Centre, a maximum-security prison equipped with psychiatric facilities. Arson is punishable by life imprisonment, but the District Court can only pass a maximum jail sentence of seven years. ^ top ^

Beijing's attack on Hong Kong opposition viewed as 'taste of what's to come' as attention pivots from coronavirus to city's legislative elections (SCMP)
2020-04-15
A fight that has erupted between Beijing's top representatives on Hong Kong affairs and the opposition camp is putting the legislature squarely at the heart of an escalating struggle for power in the city, with just months to go before an election set that could upend the current political landscape. Both sides view the flare-up over the work of the House Committee sending bills to a floor vote as part of a larger debate stretching back to the handover, but which has since the previous summer pushed the city to the brink of chaos: just how much autonomy do Hongkongers have to decide their own affairs? The House Committee sets the agenda for weekly council meetings, deciding the dates when certain bills are to be put forward for a final vote. The answer comes down to the Basic Law, the city's mini-constitution, the scope of which the central government has increasingly defined in response to a surging localist movement calling for greater self-determination. A Beijing insider said the top leadership could not stand by while the city's basic ability to govern was at stake and warned even further criticism might lie ahead, while a mainland legal expert cautioned the comments reflected a growing frustration over the pro-establishment camp's failure to produce results even with a legislative majority. The camp has 43 seats in the 70-member legislature versus 24 seats for the opposition which lost members over the past years to disqualification. In the eyes of pro-democrats, the accusations by the cabinet-level Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO), and the central government's liaison office on Monday, that lawmakers had paralysed the Legislative Council with filibustering tactics, were yet another example of Beijing tightening its grip over the political life of the city. As evidence, the liaison office pointed to a pile-up of bills and subsidiary legislation in the agenda-setting House Committee, leaderless since October. The affairs office suggested members had failed to carry out their duties, a charge that echoes the ousting of several opposition lawmakers for improperly taking their oaths in October 2016. "One can't help thinking their behaviour amounts to a breach of the [Legislative Council] oath, and constitutes an offence of misconduct in public office," the HKMAO said. Legal sector lawmaker Dennis Kwok Wing-hang of the Civic Party, as de facto head of the committee who has been presiding of the meetings, fired back that Beijing's representatives were themselves guilty of crossing an inviolable line. "I'd like to remind the [central government] agencies that under the one country, two systems policy, no mainland units can interfere with Hong Kong's internal affairs," Kwok said. Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor threw her support behind Beijing on Tuesday, arguing the offices had every right to criticise the lawmakers. "When the Legislative Council is almost malfunctioning … I find it only legitimate for them to express concern," Lam said. But she refused to say if the government would move to unseat the lawmakers and instead asked the legislature to resolve the impasse. The criticisms by the offices were a rare foray into a sphere of city life where the central government rarely treads. Under Article 2 of the Basic Law, China's legislature, the National People's Congress (NPC), authorises Hong Kong to exercise a high degree of autonomy and enjoy executive, legislative and independent judicial power. But that privilege ends where matters of defence or foreign affairs are concerned. In the first years after the 1997 handover from Britain, Beijing refrained from overtly commenting on Hong Kong governance, confident the city could run itself. That stance changed after July 1, 2003, when 500,000 residents took to the streets to protest against proposed national security laws, which the legislature is required to pass under the Basic Law but are widely seen as a precursor to muffling dissent. The next January the affairs office issued an unprecedented statement on the policy address delivered by then-chief executive Tung Chee-hwa. It was the first time since the handover that Beijing had commented formally on the biggest government announcement of the year. That April, the central government took its largest step into local politics yet with an interpretation of the Basic Law that ruled out the election of the chief executive and all Legco members, some of whom are industry appointed, by universal suffrage for 2007 and 2008, despite Beijing's earlier promises. That was followed by a State Council white paper in June 2014 that pointed to the central government's "comprehensive jurisdiction" over the city and stressed that Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy was subject to Beijing's authorisation. The top leaders drew a line in the sand again in 2016 after six pro-democracy politicians elected to Legco used their oath-taking ceremony to mock the mainland with various antics. Then secretary of justice Rimsky Yuen Kwok-keung launched a judicial review that led to the NPC interpreting Article 104 of the Basic Law as requiring lawmakers to be "sincere" in taking their pledges or face disqualification. Violators "shall bear legal responsibility", it said. "What Dennis Kwok Wing-hang and other opposition lawmakers have been doing since October has obviously breached Article 104 of the Basic Law and the interpretation by the NPC Standing Committee in 2016," said Tam Yiu-chung, Hong Kong's sole representative to the national legislature. Tam said the boundaries laid down in the "one country, two systems" must not be understood in the narrow sense that the central government could only state its position on matters such as national defence or political reform. A source familiar with the mainland position agreed. "The central government can't turn a blind eye to the chaos in Legco, which has already undermined the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong," the insider said. "It wouldn't be a surprise to see the central government agencies speak up on other issues affecting Hong Kong's fundamental interests in the days ahead." Tian Feilong, an associate professor at Beihang University's law school in Beijing, said the central government's patience was wearing thin, but the offices' criticism also targeted the pro-establishment camp for failing to put Legco in order. "It's a reminder from the central government to the pro-establishment camp that they have not been exercising their legitimate power to ensure the smooth operation of the legislature," Tian said. The bills held up in committee involve policy areas ranging from hotel regulation and fire services to the city's competitiveness and an extension of maternity leave. But a national anthem bill, which defines how people must behave when the Ma rch of the Volunteers is played in Hong Kong, is widely viewed as the Rubicon. "The disruption of the national anthem bill is another example of disrespect for national sovereignty," the mainland source said. Lau Siu-kai, vice-president of the semi-official think tank the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies, said the central government believed the city was at a crisis point as the United States stepped up support heading into America's critical election cycle after a globally disruptive trade war still far from settled. The administration of Donald Trump was playing the anti-China card, with the city as a pawn. "Beijing also notes that the opposition has turned radical and it cannot persuade them to be less confrontational," he said. Beijing would not sit idly by while the US plotted strategies for the balance of power to be decided at September's Legco election, Lau said. Both pan-democrats and the pro-establishment camp are gearing up for what is expected to be a decisive campaign battle due in September, after months of unrest sparked by the administration's failed attempt to introduce an extradition bill and the opposition's landslide victory in November's local council elections. The fear is that the opposition could make big inroads in the legislature, upending the dominance of the pro-establishment camp and making it even harder for the government to pass bills. Pro-Beijingers believe the warnings are clearly related to the upcoming poll. Referring to the opposition, Horace Cheung Kwok-kwan of the pro-government Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, said: "They uphold the 'if we burn, you burn with us' mentality since the protests against the extradition bill. The pan-democrats openly said that if they gain the majority, they will veto all government bills and funding. It is their intention to paralyse Legco, and even the government." ^ top ^

Confusion prompts call for China Airlines name change in Taiwan, but at what cost? (SCMP)
2020-04-14
Taiwan is mulling a change of name for its carrier China Airlines to make clear that it represents the self-ruled island and not mainland China. Some 40,000 Taiwanese petitioners and a group of lawmakers have been demanding the change, after reports that China Airlines (CAL) had been mistaken for the mainland's flag bearer Air China when delivering face masks and other donated medical supplies from the island to countries in the midst of the escalating coronavirus pandemic. Critics, however, said the move could lead to CAL losing its international flight routes while incurring a huge cost by changing its name and logo in numerous aviation and commercial contracts with various agencies all over the world. They also questioned the timing of such a change, when Beijing has already criticised Taipei for trying to use the pandemic to promote the independence cause. Beijing considers Taiwan a wayward province that must be returned to the mainland fold, by force if necessary. It has recently traded barbs with Taipei over what it sees as the island's attempt to join the World Health Organisation. Taipei has been rallying support from other countries by promoting its efforts to contain the Covid-19 outbreak and by donating medical supplies. On Monday, Taiwanese Transport Minister Lin Chia-lung addressed the name change issue, saying his ministry was open to renaming the airline, but he believed it would be more proper to have a majority consensus. When asked whether the carrier should be renamed Taiwan or Formosa Airlines, Premier Su Tseng-chang on Tuesday said he supported the idea but stressed that it was a complex issue with many factors to consider. "The name change involves aviation rights and many other factors, which are not that easy to do, but for the national carrier to be labelled with the name Taiwan, that is something the government must endeavour to do and the government will do so on a step-by-step basis," he said. Wang Ting-yu, a legislator with the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party, said the name change was necessary to avoid future confusion and it was up to the public to decide whether it should be "Chunghwa Airlines" or "Taiwan Airlines". Lai Hsiang-ling, a legislator from the Taiwan People's Party, said the name change was something to be discussed, but the time was not right for change. "As the world is troubled by the pandemic, it is not good timing to change the name as it would involve negotiations on change of aviation agreements and other issues," she said. Legislators from the mainland-friendly Kuomintang also advised against making the change at this time as it would "mislead people in the world into thinking that Taiwan is trying to use pandemic for its own political interest". Observers said a rebranded carrier would need to re-sign various flight agreements and aviation pacts with many countries, and pointed to the risk losing some due to pressure from Beijing. "The airline would need to also reapply for all of its flight time built up at various airports in the world and re-sign all of its commercial contracts with other companies, change the title and logo of all administrative papers, change the International Air Transport Association code, sales systems, and it must repaint the bodies of all of its fleet with new title and logo," said a Taoyuan Union of Pilots official. "The total cost could reach more than US$1 billion." CAL said it had received "various vibrant opinions regarding the subject recently and it is now in the process of being studied and discussed internally with an open mind". This is not the first time CAL has been asked to change its name. The issue was raised in 2007 when the DPP's Chen Shui-bian was president, and again under President Tsai Ing-wen in 2016 and 2018. ^ top ^

China's GDP heads for historic downturn in Q1: GT survey (Global Times)
2020-04-15
China's economy is likely to contract in the first quarter as a result of a sweeping halt in activity, the nation's slow recovery of business operations and a sudden slump in global demand because of the COVID-19 pandemic, 18 out of 20 prominent economists said in a Global Times survey. Most of the participants expect a historic growth dip for the first-quarter GDP, with a contraction ranging from 3 to 8 percent, but they also foresee a quick rebound starting in the second quarter as the country has basically contained the virus and the impact on domestic economic growth has been brought under control. The remaining two economists expect the quarterly GDP to gain in the first quarter, since China geared up to resume factory activity in March with strengthened and effective efforts to contain the virus. Participants included Guan Tao, a former official at the State Administration of Foreign Exchange; Chen Wenling, chief economist at the China Center for International Economic Exchanges (CCIEE); Gao Lingyun, an expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS); Sheng Songcheng, a counselor to the Shanghai municipal government, and Dong Shaopeng, an adviser to the China Securities Regulatory Commission. Domestic supply and demand took a massive hit from the virus in the first quarter — the first two months in particular. Extended holidays and nationwide logistics disruptions hindered factory activity, consumption dried up as people stayed home and corporate investment slowed due to mounting liquidity pressure, the survey found. As a result, China is likely to record the largest-ever decline in its GDP in the first quarter — the unavoidable price the country paid to control the deadly virus, experts noted. The total cost may exceed 5 trillion yuan ($709 billion) because of factory shutdowns and the suspension of other activities for more than 40 days due to the virus outbreak, possibly leading to a 3 percent contraction in GDP during the period, said Cao Heping, professor of economics at Peking University. The economy expanded 6.4 percent in the first quarter of 2019. "Based on China's trade figures in the first two months, first-quarter GDP may have fallen 7 to 9 percent. But as foreign trade saw a rebound in March, the decline may narrow to 5 to 7 percent," said Tian Yun, vice director of the Beijing Economic Operation Association. In March, China's foreign trade reached 2.45 trillion yuan, down 0.8 percent year-on-year, with the decrease narrowing 8.7 percentage points from the first two months, latest customs data showed. However, Cong Yi, a professor at the Tianjin University of Finance and Economics, forecast GDP growth in Q1 could expand by 1 to 2 percent. Economic activity gradually resumed in March with an increased recovery in operational capacity and supply, along with a number of exporters' move to produce medical supplies for shipments to virus-hit countries. These factors probably helped the economy grow slightly during the period, said Cong. Chen of the CCIEE estimated a gain of 3-4 percent in first-quarter GDP, saying that China's economic fundamentals are stable since the country basically contained the virus in the past two months. It was also able to stabilize production and gradually resume manufacturing and other economic activity. The current challenges for the Chinese economy mainly come from external shocks as the pandemic is sweeping through the European markets and the US, the world's largest economy, the survey found. The number of global confirmed COVID-19 cases exceeded 1.99 million as of press time, with the US reporting more than 600,000, according to Johns Hopkins University. The US economy may shrink 2.5-3 percent in the first quarter as the COVID-19 outbreak in the US is far from reaching an inflection point. The virus is driving US business activity to a record low which continues to elevate its unemployment, said Hu Qimu, senior fellow at Sinosteel Economic Research Institute. But Bai Ming, deputy director of the Ministry of Commerce's International Market Research Institute, said that US GDP would probably flat in the first quarter, since economic activity was largely unaffected during the first two months of 2020. Unlike China, US average households have high debt levels, which means that consumer spending power will be hampered by reduced or suspended income during the coronavirus lockdown, Bai said. Coronavirus relief funds recently approved by the US Congress will be an effective instrument to aid US households, but it might give rise to long-term fiscal pressure and cause economic bubbles, Bai noted. Chinese Ambassador to the US Cui Tiankai recently said that implementation of the China-US phase one trade deal is progressing despite the spread of the pandemic in the US, but 16 out of the 20 experts in the survey said the second phase trade deal has an uncertain future. "The second phase trade deal is unlikely to be reached by the end of this year," said Gao of CASS, who is close to the trade talks. Gao said that China is open to further negotiations but the US is not enthusiastic, based on its recent responses, because the pandemic and the upcoming US presidential election have added uncertainty to the second phase trade talks. Cheng Shi, chief economist at ICBC International, said that because the scope and intensity of the pandemic had gone beyond expectations, the world economy has entered into a painful recession. Thus, the second phase of the trade talks needs to reflect large adjustments to the new environment. The latest IMF forecasts suggest that the global economy will contract by 3 percent in 2020, its worst performance since the Great Depression. The US economy will contract by 5.9 percent this year, while China is seen growing by 1.2 percent in 2020, the IMF forecasted. Both China and the US are large and open economies with huge markets and strong demand. The difference is that the US is a developed economy, which has completed its urbanization and industrialization. However, its economic structure has been too financialized and its manufacturing has been hollowed out, said Hu. China is promoting new models of urbanization and industrialization driven by the internet-led economy that are rooted in China's great consumer market, Hu said, noting that China has more leeway against external risks than the US. China's contribution to global GDP growth will increase in 2020 as its rebounding factory sector has sent positive signals to global manufacturers that depend on Chinese imports. Five of the 20 experts forecast that China's contribution to global economic growth this year will exceed 50 percent. Six said the contribution will range from 30-40 percent. The rest, citing the uncertainty of the pandemic's influence, declined to make a specific forecast. In 2019, China's contribution to global economic growth was about 30 percent, up from 27.5 percent in 2018, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The NBS is set to release first-quarter economic figures on Friday. More stimulus moves are expected to be revealed after the NBS announcement, and if the amount is at least 10 trillion yuan and it's mainly used to help enterprises and stimulate consumption, China can still achieve reasonable growth targets for the second quarter and the second half of the year, said Teng Tai, dean of the WANB New Economy Research Institute. The Chinese economy will be an important stabilizer for the global growth, he said. ^ top ^

Chinese oil producers may cut capacity as plunging crude prices squeeze profit (Global Times)
2020-04-14
China's major oil companies maintained normal production — and some even increased output — in the first quarter of 2020, despite plunging global oil prices that squeezed their profit margins, the Global Times learned. Some industry insiders said that their decisions were aimed at guaranteeing China's energy security amid the global pandemic. But it is likely that some oil companies will cut their capacity in the next few months out of profit concerns. A source from the China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) told the Global Times on Tuesday that CNPC saw a slight increase of its oil equivalent output in the first quarter compared with a year earlier. Shengli Oilfield, which operates primarily in Dongying, East China's Shandong Province, a subsidiary of China Petroleum and Chemical Corp, has maintained normal capacity since the COVID-19 pandemic began. As global oil prices dive, maintaining normal capacity may mean massive losses, as the costs of exploration and production exceed sales revenue. The Global Times learned that Xinjiang Oilfield in the city of Karamay, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, a subsidiary of CNPC, has seen a slight decrease of crude oil output in recent days. "If Chinese oil companies can't reduce production in time, their revenues and profits would fall significantly in the second quarter," the CNPC source said. As revenue dwindles, Chinese oil companies' spending has to be trimmed, which could delay final investment decisions on new oil projects, sources said. China National Offshore Oil Corp said in a statement it will cut capital spending by at least 10 percent and reduce losses at some subsidiaries by 5 billion yuan ($708 million) in 2020. Looking at the big picture, China's big three oil companies are now faced with a dilemma: how to balance the task of pursuing energy security while also making sure the mission does not threaten their survival or set off a wave of bankruptcies among small suppliers. Dong Xiucheng, a professor at the University of International Business and Economics, told the Global Times that it's essential for national oil companies to carefully maintain a balance of rights and responsibilities against the urgency of making a profit. "As in recent years the energy industry has become increasingly market-oriented, oil companies could cut their output in line with market conditions," Dong said. China's three biggest oil companies need to maintain output at about 200 million tons in 2020 for energy security, and strive to achieve national targets. Liu Chaoquan, vice president of the Economy and Technology Research Institute of CNPC, told the Global Times on Tuesday that national oil companies should put survival first due to plunging oil prices. ^ top ^

How North Korea's billion-dollar construction boom could transform the Pyongyang skyline – as well as the Kim regime's finances (SCMP)
2020-04-13
Beachfront, five-star hotels? Skyscrapers just blocks from Kim Il-sung Square? North Korea is racing forward with major development projects some experts believe are aimed at expanding a market for rented or privately owned real estate to help fortify the finances of Kim Jong-un's regime against the bite of sanctions over its nuclear programme. A swelling market for private property doesn't sound very socialist, and it's not. But the chronically cash-strapped government appears to be nurturing a fresh source of revenue – sales of property to the newly affluent class of North Koreans who have made their fortunes on the country's growing, but still largely unofficial, market economy that has come into its own since Kim assumed power. The pressure on Pyongyang is growing as the Chinese investors who traditionally have propped up its economy are retreating amid tougher than ever restrictions imposed by Beijing. The construction projects, which could cost well over a billion dollars to complete, have a lot of momentum behind them. They are part of a six-year building spree under Kim that has transformed the Pyongyang skyline. North Korean officials said they hope to have at least some of the developments ready to show off for celebrations in September marking the country's 70th anniversary. "Since 2012, we have been building a new project each year, so I think one year from now a lot of changes will have been made in the city," said Kim Kum Chol, an architect with the Paektusan Academy of Architecture, the centre for architectural research and design in North Korea. "We have a lot of construction plans." He said there are three main projects this year. First, to redevelop the centre of Pyongyang by replacing low-rise housing built after the 1950-53 Korean war with more space-efficient new skyscrapers, offices, public buildings and residential high rises. "For the centre of the city there are many old residences, so we are trying to turn that into new ones," Kim explained. Second, on the east coast's Wonsan-Kalma area, more than 10 hotels, thousands of units of residential housing and a number of recreational facilities are either planned or underway, Kim said. He said the hotels would range from relatively modest three-star facilities to luxury five-star resorts. Kim Jong-un has already built a new airport to serve the area known as his home away from home. The third focus is near the Chinese border in Samjiyon, a scenic town at the foot of Mount Paektu, the spiritual home of the ruling Kim dynasty. The area is to become an "open-air museum for education in revolutionary traditions," according to state-media reports, and a centre of mechanised potato farming "envied by the people the world over". North Korea has often used ostentatious projects to inspire nationalistic pride, reward loyalty and enhance the prestige of the ruling regime. But Kim Jong-un seems to have a penchant for spearheading the completion of high-rise neighbourhoods and modern, seemingly quite functional recreational facilities. In theory, housing, education and health care are provided free to all in socialist North Korea, where the state owns all capital, including the buildings, factories and land. Selling property outright, or collecting rents, would pull money out of the pockets of those who can afford it, putting it back into the coffers of the regime. Demanding prepayment could help finance projects underway or in the planning stages. North Korea has been doing this to some degree for years. Chinese investment has generally been seen as the key source of funds. So has slow but steady growth in the North's domestic economy, helped along by a swelling sector of entrepreneurs who have savings in foreign currencies like the US dollar and Chinese yuan. These people, known as donju, or money masters, have been more visible since Kim Jong-un assumed power, creating a natural market for better housing that didn't exist in the past. Most live in Pyongyang and the Wonsan area, where construction is most active. A big part of the building boom is focused on high-end properties in prime locations, like the Pyongyang city centre or along riversides or ocean fronts that might be expected to appeal to them most – and have a higher market value. Whether such projects would ever pay for themselves is unclear. That could help explain why Kim has made diplomatic overtures over the past few months to Seoul and Beijing – two potentially huge pools of investment and aid if the political tensions on the peninsula ease. Before stepped up sanctions kicked in last year, North Korea made a massive sell-off of minerals to China that coincided nicely with the building boom. William Brown, an economist at Georgetown University, said the "liquidation" of some state property makes fiscal sense, despite the cost to socialist principles, especially given North Korea's chronic trade deficit with China. The downturn in Chinese trade and new investment since about September and Kim's inability to get foreign loans or woo other investors has cast serious doubt on the future of the economic boom and is jeopardising funding for the military, said Benjamin Katzeff Silberstein, a scholar with the US-based Foreign Policy Research Institute think tank and co-editor of the North Korea Economy Watch website. Dwindling trade with China is not only sucking foreign reserves away from the regime, but also hurting businesses the donju rely on as well, a one-two punch to the economy that could get significantly worse in the months to come, possibly undermining demand for luxury property. "The state really doesn't have any sustainable revenue source as of now," Silberstein said. ^ top ^

North Korea's Kim Jong-un replaces almost half of top governing body in reshuffle (SCMP)
2020-04-13
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has carried out a major reshuffle of his State Affairs Commission, official media reported on Monday, replacing more than one-third of its members. Kim has established an iron grip over the levers of authority in his nuclear-armed country since inheriting power in 2011. He is chairman of the SAC – the North's highest decision-making body – and five of its 13 other members were replaced at a meeting of the country's rubber-stamp Supreme People's Assembly parliament on Sunday, the state-run KCNA news agency reported. "This is a rather large scale of SAC membership shuffle," said former US government North Korea analyst Rachel Lee. Pictures carried by the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper showed hundreds of lawmakers sitting close to each other without wearing protective masks. A cabinet report reiterated the North's insistence that "not a single case" of the coronavirus pandemic that has swept the world since emerging in neighbouring China has been reported in the country. Pyongyang put thousands of its own people and hundreds of foreigners – including diplomats – into isolation and mounted disinfection drives as it sought to prevent an outbreak, which experts say could be devastating given its weak health sector and widespread malnutrition. "State emergency anti-epidemic campaign will continue to be intensified to prevent the spread of Covid-19," the cabinet report said. There was no mention on KCNA of Kim presiding over the meeting himself, and he did not appear in photos of it. "The fact that North Korea went ahead with the SPA suggests the country's confidence in managing the coronavirus situation," Lee said. "The fact that the attendees were not wearing masks only reconfirms that." The new SAC members include Ri Son-gwon, a former senior army officer named as foreign minister earlier this year, while his predecessor, career diplomat Ri Yong-ho, was removed. Another former foreign minister, Ri Su-yong, was also taken off the committee. Under Kim the North has made rapid progress on its nuclear arsenal, launching missiles capable of reaching the whole of the US mainland, and has been subject to increasingly stringent UN Security Council sanctions as a result. Talks with the US have been largely deadlocked since the collapse of the Hanoi summit last year over sanctions relief and what the North would be willing to give up in exchange. A budgetary report submitted to the SPA said 15.9 per cent of state spending this year would be devoted to defence, KCNA said, a marginal increase on 2019. The cabinet report acknowledged that "serious mistakes" were found in its work last year. "They taught a serious lesson that if the officials in charge of providing economic guidance fail to fulfil their duty," the authorities' economic goals will not be achieved, it said. North Korea "apparently wants to show its institutions are working and national safety is under control, while trying to lower public expectations about the economy by blaming the ongoing global pandemic," said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul. ^ top ^

Foreign Minister meets the U.S. Ambassador (Montsame)
2020-04-14
Minister of Foreign Affairs D.Tsogtbaatar received yesterday, on April 14 the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary from the U.S. to Mongolia Michael S. Klecheski. During the meeting, sides shared information on the measures being taken by the respective governments against the global COVID-19 pandemic and Minister D.Tsogtbaatar thanked the United States for its assistance to Mongolia during this difficult time. Praising the Government of Mongolia's prompt and consistent efforts to prevent and contain the spread of COVID-19, Ambassador Michael S. Klecheski thanked for its support in ensuring the safety of American citizens living and working in Mongolia. Minister D.Tsogtbaatar and Ambassador Michael S. Klecheski also exchanged views on some issues of bilateral and multilateral cooperation. ^ top ^

School closures extended until September 1 (Montsame)
2020-04-14
The State Emergency Commission (SEC) today convened a meeting and decided to extend closures of all schools, universities and educational institutions until September 1. Therefore, all schools will remain closed for the rest of this academic year only to reopen on September 1, 2020 for the next school year. In connection with the extended school closures, the SEC made following decisions: Live classroom lessons will continue to be broadcast on TV until June 1. Registration and entrance process of kindergarten and primary schools is postponed until the second half of August. Heating for buildings of schools, universities and dormitories will be shut off starting April 15 to save expenses. No grade threshold, which allows only qualified students of ninth grade of secondary schools to continue to high school, will be set this year. It is their will whether to advance to high school or to continue their study at vocational education centers. No exams will be organized to promote school students to the next grade. Instead, students' performance will be assessed based on the results of the first semester of the school year. Universities are encouraged to organize final and graduate exams and graduation ceremonies after August 15. The scheduled date of nationwide general entrance exams for high school graduates remains the same on July 2-5 and universities' admission process is set on July 8-9. All high school graduates taking general entrance exams to universities are required to pass exam of Mongolian language and traditional script. However, this year, all students will be permitted to enter into universities without them. This year, 28,500 students will graduate high schools and as of today, 28,155 students are registered to take general entrance exams. All schools and universities in the country have been closed since late January in order to prevent from the spread of COVID-19 pandemic in the country. ^ top ^

EU and World Bank support Mongolia's efforts to address COVID-19 Impact (Montsame)
2020-04-13
The European Union and the World Bank will reprioritize the use of EUR 680,000 within the Strengthening Governance in Mongolia Project, funded by the European Union, to support the Government's efforts to respond to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) emergency and help mitigate its impact in the short and medium term. The reprioritization of funds will enable the Ministry of Finance to take more targeted just-in-time measures to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 such as assessing the potential impact of the pandemic on the economy; planning and monitoring of fiscal resources; and better tracking allocation and expenditure on response measures. "The Ministry of Finance is one of the key actors in the COVID-19 response efforts of the Government of Mongolia, not only for the short-term, but also for the long-term. We stand ready to support the Ministry and the Government in their efforts to address macroeconomic and public finance management challenges caused by the COVID-19 impact," said European Union Ambassador to Mongolia H.E. Traian Hristea. "The just-in-time technical assistance will support the Ministry of Finance in designing and implementing adequate emergency measures that are both responsive to the local context and informed by international good practices," said Andrei Mikhnev, World Bank Country Manager for Mongolia. The Strengthening Governance in Mongolia Project, funded under the EU Trust Fund with the World Bank, has since 2018 supported the government's efforts to improve fiscal discipline, public finance management, and transparency and accountability for strengthened governance in Mongolia. With total grant financing of EUR 4.8 million by the European Union, the project has been providing technical assistance to the Ministry of Finance, the Fiscal Council, and the Mongolian National Audit Office to implement the priority actions in the government's Public Financial Management Strategy and Action Plan (2018-2022). ^ top ^

Sandro Wirth
Embassy of Switzerland