International

China is dropping a requirement that a number of key virus care products get domestic regulatory approval before export, as long as they are approved in the importing countries, the commerce ministry said on Saturday. China had been stipulating such extra approval at home since the end of March after several European countries complained that Chinese-made test kits were inaccurate, in effect hampering many firms' efforts to supply global efforts against the coronavirus pandemic. The new ruling applies to products such as coronavirus tests, medical masks, protective suits, infrared thermometers and ventilators. Products with overseas approval or registration, after relevant verification by a trade group authorized by the commerce ministry, will be allowed for export, Li Xinqian, an official at China’s commerce ministry, said on Sunday during a media briefing. Zhang Shuwen, the CEO of Liming Bio-products, a biotech firm offering coronavirus tests targeting the overseas market, said he believes the new rule is a "wise" revision to the previous one. "It's wrong to have a one-size-fits-all policy," Zhang said. "Each country may have different criteria for medicines and medical devices. The priority is to meet the requirement in the countries where the product will be sold, instead of where the product is made." The previous ban vexed medical device firms in the cities of Hangzhou and Shenzhen, which tried to seek help from local governments, Zhang added. Many countries around the world have been scrambling to buy or make enough personal protective equipment for medical staff and care workers at risk of infection, and also tests to trace contagion and identify people who can leave quarantine. 

China’s northwestern province of Shaanxi reported yesterday seven new imported cases of the novel coronavirus, all in citizens returning home from Russia, even as domestic cases in the country were largely curbed. The port city of Manzhouli in Inner Mongolia also reported three new imported cases,  without giving details. China has instituted stringent checks at its ports and border points, banning the entry of foreign nationals on March 28, and even diverting international flights from its capital city  Beijing. Still it has faced a continuous trickle of cases brought in by Chinese citizens wanting to return home in spite of risks of getting infected. In recent days, many of these have come back from Russia. The new cases in Shaanxi were all Chinese nationals who had returned on April 20 on a flight from Moscow that was diverted away from Beijing. As of Saturday, the flight had a confirmed total of 30 cases, and 8 asymptomatic infections, according to the provincial health commission. No further details were given about the imported cases in Manzhouli in Inner Mongolia. The northern province announced on Friday that it would start requiring all international arrivals to undergo a 28-day quarantine, as well as two tests for Covid-19 as well as an  antibody test. China reported 12 new coronavirus cases on April 24, compared with six new cases on the previous day, National Health Commission data showed yesterday. Of those, 11 were imported, compared with two the previous day. The commission also reported 29 new asymptomatic cases, slightly down from the previous day’s 34. Four of these cases were imported. The total number of confirmed cases in China, where the virus first emerged in late December, is now 82,816. The death toll remained the same at 4,632, with no new deaths  reported on April 24.

China's northwestern province of Shaanxi reported on Saturday seven new imported cases of the novel coronavirus, all in citizens returning home from Russia, even as domestic cases in the country were largely curbed. The port city of Manzhouli in Inner Mongolia also reported three new imported cases, without giving details. China has instituted stringent checks at its ports and border points, banning the entry of foreign nationals on March 28, and even diverting international flights from its capital city Beijing. Still it has faced a continuous trickle of cases brought in by Chinese citizens wanting to return home in spite of risks of getting infected. In recent days, many of these have come back from Russia. The new cases in Shaanxi were all Chinese nationals who had returned on April 20 on a flight from Moscow that was diverted away from Beijing. As of Saturday, the flight had a confirmed total of 30 cases, and 8 asymptomatic infections, according to the provincial health commission. No further details were given about the imported cases in Manzhouli in Inner Mongolia. The northern province announced Friday that it would start requiring all international arrivals to undergo a 28-day quarantine, as well as two tests for Covid-19 as well as an antibody test. China reported 12 new coronavirus cases on April 24, compared with six new cases on the previous day, National Health Commission data showed on Saturday. Of those, 11 were imported, compared with two the preivous day. The commission also reported 29 new asymptomatic cases, slightly down from the previous day's 34. Four of these cases were imported. The total number of confirmed cases in China, where the virus first emerged in late December, is now 82,816. The death toll remained the same at 4,632, with no new deaths reported on April 24.

China yesterday reported 16 new coronavirus cases but no deaths while authorities remained on guard against a major resurgence and monitored the spread of cases in Heilongjiang province.  The National Health Commission yesterday also issued a notice asking for improvement in testing capacity and quality nationwide. Nine of the new cases were imported infections, data from commission showed. Authorities reported that total confirmed cases across mainland China had risen to 82,735 with 4,632 deaths as of April 18.  The northeastern province of Heilongjiang has seen a rise in infected travellers arriving from Russia in recent weeks, and is now battling to contain a flare-up in local cases. Heilongjiang has reported 39 new local cases in the past 10 days, or more than 50% of all new 73 locally transmitted cases reported in the mainland during the same period. Most were related to one imported case in the provincial capital, Harbin. Yesterday, 18 officials in Harbin, including a vice mayor, were punished.  To help contain the outbreak, the Heilongjiang government is cautioning against family gatherings, cross infections at hospitals, and slow reporting in epidemic investigations, it said on the provincial government’s website. “The biggest political task at present is to stop the rebound and spread of the epidemic,” Wang Yongkang, vice governor of Heilongjiang, was quoted as saying. Elsewhere in mainland China, all areas in central Hubei province including Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak in China, are now considered low risk. However, a Beijing central district is seen as high-risk, according to a social media post by the State Council, or Cabinet. On April 15, the Chinese capital reported three local cases, all of which were linked to an imported infection.  Areas that are considered of medium-risk in China include two districts in Harbin, the city of Suifenhe in Heilongjiang, two districts in the southern city of Guangzhou and Jiaozhou city in eastern Shandong province.  Separately, authorities reported 44 new asymptomatic cases of coronavirus, including three which were imported. Such cases, where patients test positive but show no clinical symptoms such as a cough or fever, are excluded from China’s tally of confirmed cases. In urging better testing, the National Health Commission said all large general hospitals need to set up laboratories that meet certain requirements and can conduct coronavirus testing independently.  Since March, an average 54,000 tests have been conducted a day in Hubei province and that rose to 89,000 tests on April 17, Liu Dongru, a Hubei health commission official, told a news conference yesterday. In Beijing, the number of institutions able to conduct nucleic acid testing has risen to 50 from 17 in early February, a municipal health commission official said yesterday. In areas under great pressure, especially at land borders, local governments should help county-level medical institutions obtain nucleic acid testing capability, the commission said.  Testing should be conducted by qualified medical institutions and independent medical laboratories, it said, adding that training for medical staff should be stepped up and testing operations standardised to reduce problems with the accuracy of testing.

Suppressing Hong Kong's democracy movement is a priority for China, even in the midst of the coronavirus crisis, a top pro-democracy leader said on Sunday, a day after police arrested him and 14 others in a surprise crackdown. The United States and others criticised the arrest of the 15 on charges of organising and participating in anti-government protests last year, the biggest crackdown on the pro-democracy movement since the outbreak of the protests almost a year ago. ‘This is all happening while we are in midst of a pandemic,’ pro-democracy activist Avery Ng told Reuters by telephone. ‘The world is dealing with this virus, but this signals that Beijing still sees a political crackdown in Hong Kong is a top priority.’ Those arrested included Democratic Party founder and barrister Martin Lee, 81, millionaire publishing tycoon Jimmy Lai, 71, and former lawmaker and barrister Margaret Ng, 72. Police said those arrested were charged with organising and participating in unlawful assemblies on Aug. 18 and Oct. 1 and 20 last year. Major and often violent demonstrations broke out across the former British colony on those days. They were due to appear in court on May 18. Police said more arrests were possible. Avery Ng and some of the others arrested were released on bail late on Saturday. The arrests prompted criticism from the United States and Britain, which both called for Hong Kong's rule of law to be maintained. ‘The United States condemns the arrest of pro-democracy advocates in Hong Kong,’ U.S Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said. ‘Beijing and its representatives in Hong Kong continue to take actions inconsistent with commitments made under the Sino-British Joint Declaration that include transparency, the rule of law, and guarantees that Hong Kong will continue to 'enjoy a high degree of autonomy',’ he said. Hong Kong returned to Beijing in 1997 under a ‘one country, two systems’ formula that guarantees it broad freedoms not seen in mainland China, and a high degree of autonomy. China rejected the US criticism. ‘It serves as another evidence of their collusion with the local troublemakers, which deserves condemnation by the entire international community,’ a spokesman for Office of the Commissioner of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Hong Kong said a statement. 'HAWKISH' In Britain, a Foreign Office representative said the government expected any arrests and court procedures to be ‘conducted in a fair and transparent manner’. The right to peaceful protest was ‘fundamental to Hong Kong's way of life’ and authorities should avoid inflaming tension and ‘focus on rebuilding trust through a process of meaningful political dialogue’. The Hong Kong government defended the arrests. The city's Security Bureau said were carried out in line with the law. Hong Kong's protest campaign has gone quiet as the coronavirus threat has grown. There have been no major demonstrations in the city since Jan. 1. But nevertheless, Ng said he believed Beijing would not compromise and more activists were likely to be arrested. ‘It is a very significant political decision and shows the direction that Beijing will take in dealing with Hong Kong,’ he said. ‘They will be very hawkish ... we can expect there will be more crackdowns.’ In another sign of the growing power of Beijing over the city, Beijing's Liaison Office, the Chinese government's top representative office in the city, announced on Friday that it was not bound by a law that restricts interference by other mainland Chinese bodies. The city government backed the announcement drawing the condemnation of 22 opposition members of the city's legislature who accused Chief Executive Carrie Lam’s government of ‘betraying’ Hong Kong by its ‘capitulation’. The International Bar Association condemned the arrests of Lee and Margaret Ng, who have been active human rights and rule of law campaigners during their careers. It was vital that justice was applied transparently in Hong Kong, especially while the world is gripped by the coronavirus pandemic, it said.

China ordered yesterday that anyone in Wuhan working in certain service-related jobs must take a coronavirus test if they want to leave the city. The order comes after the central city, where the coronavirus emerged late last year, lifted a 70-day lockdown that all but ended the epidemic there. People in Wuhan work in nursing, education, security and other sectors with high exposure to the public must take a nucleic acid test before leaving, the National Health Commission said in an order. The government of Hubei province, of which Wuhan is capital, will pay for the  tests, the commission said. Since the city relaxed its lockdown restrictions people who arrived in there before Chinese New Year, when the virus was peaking in China, are allowed to go back to their homes. People working in other sectors aiming to leave Wuhan are encouraged to take voluntary tests before going. Within seven days of arrival at their destinations, people who can present test results showing they do not carry the virus, as well as a clean bill of health on a health app, can go back to work. Everyone else will have to spend 14 days in quarantine before returning to work. Authorities have worked with the China’s tech giants to devise a colour-based health code system, retrieved via mobile app, that uses geolocation data and self-reported information to indicate one’s health status. Wuhan will speed up its efforts to investigate asymptomatic coronavirus cases and confirm the presence of antibodies in people, which might suggest immunity, the commission said. Wuhan, which accounts for 60% of infections in China and 84% of the death toll as of Saturday, has been testing inhabitants aggressively throughout the virus’ breakout and many companies had already been asking workers from the city to undergo tests before resuming work. Wuhan revised up its death toll from the coronavirus by 1,290 on Friday, taking the city’s toll to 3,869, because of incorrect reporting, delays and omissions, especially in the chaotic early stages of the outbreak, authorities said. China national death toll is 4,632 from 82,719 cases.

Hong Kong police arrested on Saturday about a dozen democracy activists on charges of illegal assembly in raids across the Asian financial hub, media and political sources said. Believed to be among those detained in the swoop is prominent Democratic Party founder and senior barrister Martin Lee, 81, broadcaster RTHK reported. In all, nine former legislators were arrested. Hong Kong police have yet to confirm the arrests, which media said related to marches on Aug. 18 and Oct. 1 last year - both days of large and at times violent protests across the city. Media showed footage of police outside the house of publishing tycoon Jimmy Lai, a financial backer of the city's pro-democracy movement. Lai was arrested on similar charges in late February, along with veteran activists Lee Cheuk-yan and Yeung Sum. It was unclear whether he was among those arrested on Saturday, while others named by media could not be contacted. The raids mark the biggest crackdown on the pro-democracy movement since the outbreak of large and sometimes violent anti-government protests across the former British colony in June last year. Marchers initially targeted a now-scrapped bill proposing to send suspects to mainland China for trial but protests broadened into demands for full democracy and a public investigation of the use of force by police. Saturday's arrests come after several months of relative calm amid a partial coronavirus lockdown but just as Chinese and city government officials launch a new push for tougher national security laws for Hong Kong. Democratic legislator Claudia Mo, who was not among those arrested, said the government, led by Chief Executive Carrie Lam, was trying ‘into introduce a ring of terror in Hong Kong’. ‘They are doing whatever they can to try to silence, to take down, the local opposition,’ she said, pointing to upcoming legislative elections in September in which democrats hope to win back their former veto power in the city assembly. Authorities in Hong Kong have arrested more than 7,800 people for their involvement in the protests, including many on rioting charges that can carry jail terms of up to 10 years. It is not clear how many of them are in custody. Hong Kong government and security officials have recently described some of the democracy movement's actions as being close to terrorism. Authorities are increasingly using the threat of terrorism to justify the need for new national security laws, a requirement under the Basic Law - the mini-constitution that guarantees Hong Kong's broad freedoms and outlines its relationship with Beijing. Hong Kong returned to Beijing in 1997 under a ‘one country, two systems’ formula that guarantees it broad freedoms not seen in mainland China, and a high degree of autonomy. A previous attempt to draft a national security law for Hong Kong, known as Article 23, was met with mass protests in 2003 and abandoned.

The Chinese city at the origin of the coronavirus outbreak revised up its death toll by 50 percent Friday, as global criticism mounted over China's handling of the deadly pandemic. Since emerging from Wuhan late last year, the coronavirus has embarked on a deadly march across the planet, killing more than 145,000 people and wrecking the global economy as more than half of humanity -- 4.5 billion people -- is trapped indoors. While President Donald Trump announced a phased reopening of the United States, the economic devastation was clear to see in China, where gross domestic product slammed into reverse for the first time since records began. Several countries across Europe are starting to slowly ease back weeks-old restrictions after deaths and infections showed signs of stabilising, and the German health minister said Thursday his country's outbreak was "under control". In China, Wuhan's city government added 1,290 deaths to its toll, bringing the total to 3,869 after many dead were "mistakenly reported" or missed entirely, adding to growing global doubts over China's transparency. Leaders in France and Britain joined Trump's broadsides against China, as two US media outlets reported suspicions the virus accidentally slipped out of a sensitive Wuhan laboratory that studied bats. President Emmanuel Macron told the Financial Times it would be "naive" to think China had handled the pandemic well, adding: "There are clearly things that have happened that we don't know about." Beijing hit back on Friday, insisting there had been no cover-up. "There has never been any concealment, and we'll never allow any concealment," a foreign ministry spokesman said. World leaders are grappling with the question of when -- and how -- to reopen society, seeking a life-and-death balance between unfreezing stalled economies and preventing a deadly second coronavirus wave. While Trump declared Thursday that the time had come for the "next front in our war" with a phased reboot of the US economy, others took the opposite path -- Japan, Britain and Mexico all expanded current restrictions. Despite the United States suffering a staggering 4,500 deaths in the last 24 hours -- taking the national toll to almost 33,000 -- Trump proclaimed: "We're opening up our country." The president's approach was a step back from previous hopes for a sudden re-opening however, and state governors were given the freedom to set their own plans to resume business. Lightly affected states can open "literally tomorrow", said Trump, while others would receive White House "freedom and guidance" to achieve that at their own pace. In New York state for example -- where more than 11,500 have died -- Governor Andrew Cuomo extended a shutdown order until May 15. Top US government scientist Anthony Fauci promised a gradual resumption of business as usual, saying: "Light switch on and off is the exact opposite of what you see here." New Yorker Jamie O'Reilly, owner of a dog-walking business, summed up the agonising predicament world leaders face. "Why does the economy matter if we're not around to spend any money because we're all sick?" the 31-year-old told AFP. Meanwhile, there were more signs the global economy is imploding. China reported Friday its GDP shrank 6.8 percent in the first quarter, the first contraction since quarterly growth data started in the early 1990s. In the US, another 5.2 million workers lost their jobs, bringing the total number of newly unemployed to a staggering 22 million since mid-March. John Williams, a top Federal Reserve official, predicted it would take "a year or two" if not longer for the US to recover from what the International Monetary Fund has termed the "Great Lockdown" battering the global economy. The virus could spark another "lost decade" in Latin America, the IMF warned, while experts cautioned that freezing debt for poor countries will not save many developing world economies. In Europe, automobile sales shrank 55 percent in March, according to the industry's trade association. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte threatened a typically muscular approach to lockdown, suggesting a martial law-style crackdown to enforce social distancing. But some European countries -- such as hard-hit Spain and Italy -- were embarking on a long road back to normality, with Venice residents strolling around quiet canals stripped of their usual throngs of tourists. Switzerland, Denmark and Finland were among those gradually re-opening shops and schools. In Germany, select small shops will be allowed to reopen Monday and some children could soon return to school within weeks. Infection rates there "have sunk significantly" and the outbreak is "under control", Health Minister Jens Spahn said Friday. But Britain, which shut down later than continental Europe, extended its lockdown for at least three more weeks. And in Russia, recorded infections topped 32,000 as the deputy mayor of Moscow warned of difficult weeks" ahead in her city. "The peak in morbidity should arrive in the next two to three weeks," Anastasia Rakova said. Around the world, people have come up with ingenious ways to bring back some semblance of normality -- and social connection -- to their upended lives. In Rome an 18-year-old guitarist takes to his balcony every evening at sunset to play covers of Italian classics. "We decided to lend a hand to Italians: a message of hope," Jacopo Mastrangelo told AFP from his patio. "We are accustomed to always seeing Rome full, teeming with people. Now the grass is growing between the cobblestones, everything has been left abandoned, and we decided to help." And in Britain, 99-year-old war veteran Captain Tom Moore raised over £18 million ($22 million) for healthcare workers on the front lines of the fight against coronavirus. Moore, who turns 100 at the end of the month, has captured hearts around the world by doing laps of his garden with the help of his walker. "Thank you so much for your INCREDIBLE support and generosity so far," the captain said in his latest Twitter update.

Taiwan on Tuesday reported no new cases of the coronavirus for the first time in more than a month, in the latest sign that the island's early and effective prevention methods have paid off. Taiwan has won plaudits from health experts for how it has fought the virus, including starting as early as Dec. 31 checks on passengers arriving from China's Wuhan city, where the first cases were reported late last year. Taiwan has reported 393 cases to date, and six deaths. A total of 338 were so-called imported cases, where people were suspected of getting infected overseas before entering Taiwan, with the rest cases of local transmissions. "Of course, we hope it has passed," Health Minister Chen Shih-chung told a news conference, referring to the virus on the island. "But we still need to be on our guard. Of course we feel happy at no new cases today." Chen said the last time Taiwan reported no new cases was March 9, after which numbers spiked for a time with people coming back to the island from places now reeling from the virus in Europe and the United States. The number of people discharged after they were diagnosed with the coronavirus has reached 124, Taiwan's government added. However, restrictions remain in place, such as compulsory 14-day quarantines for all arrivals onto the island, and the number of international flights has fallen dramatically. Taiwan has not gone into total lockdown because of the virus and life has continued relatively normally, though the government has promoted social distancing and mandated the wearing of face masks on public transport. 

The worst of the Covid-19 outbreak in China may be over, but one Beijing-based restaurant chain is struggling with a "new reality" -- fewer customers, reduced seating capacity, shorter hours, pay cuts and problems of cashflow and landlords. Spring is usually a strong season for the Moka Bros chain, but daily sales are down around 60% on last year, says Alex Molina, who with two partners started the 14-outlet Mosto Group from a single restaurant 12 years ago. Several stores may close for good, and by year-end, losses could hit around $1 million, Molina told Reuters in an interview during a recent sunny lunchtime at the chain's flagship store in the trendy Sanlitun neighbourhood. "It's been a little bit traumatic and the days pass and the situation is coming back to a certain level of a new normality," said Molina, a Colombian who is also creative director of the Mosto Group which includes Moka and three other brands. "But it's been the longest three months of my life," he said as a steady trickle of customers mostly kept their masks on until their food or beverages arrived. The restaurant normally seats 60 to 70 but social distancing regulations now limits it to 30. If more customers come, they are told to wait, but this means some just leave, staff said. With few tourists - all arrivals to Beijing must undergo a 14-day quarantine and foreigners are barred from entering China - "we are living off our regulars", Molina said. Staff once numbered about 200, but several dozen have been let go. Opening hours have been cut to one shift per day, salaries deferred and management have taken a 50% pay cut. Some landlords are offering discounts, but with others negotiations are ongoing, he said. Options on the table include profit and revenue-sharing as an alternative to rent. Nevertheless, Moka Bros has tried to be creative, especially with its online marketing and delivery, such as adding temporary discounts and "personal, handwritten" notes to customers. "It's going to be a new reality that we are going to need to reinvent ourselves and find a way. But it's going to take longer. But for sure we're going to find a way. People love to go to restaurants," said Molina.

* China concerned about imported virus cases * Fears resurgence of epidemic * Tightens border controls, focus on Russia  China's northeastern border with Russia has become a frontline in the fight against a resurgence of the coronavirus epidemic as new daily cases rose to the highest in nearly six weeks - with more than 90% involving people coming from abroad. Having largely stamped out domestic transmission of the disease, China has been slowly easing curbs on movement as it tries to get its economy back on track, but there are fears that a rise in imported cases could spark a second wave of Covid-19. A total of 108 new coronavirus cases were reported in mainland China on Sunday, up from 99 a day earlier, marking the highest daily tally since March 5. Imported cases accounted for a record 98. Half involved Chinese nationals returning from Russia's Far Eastern Federal District, home to the city of Vladivostok, who re-entered China through border crossings in Heilongjiang province. "Our little town here, we thought it was the safest place," said a resident of the border city of Suifenhe, who only gave his surname as Zhu. "Some Chinese citizens - they want to come back, but it's not very sensible, what are you doing coming here for?" The border is closed, except to Chinese nationals, and the land route through the city had become one of few options available for people trying to return home after Russia stopped flights to China except for those evacuating people. Streets in Suifenhe were virtually empty on Sunday evening due to restrictions of movement and gatherings announced last week, when authorities took preventative measures similar to those imposed in Wuhan, the central Chinese city where the pandemic ripping round the world first emerged late last year. The total number of confirmed cases in mainland China now stands at 82,160 as of Sunday, and at the peak of the first wave of the epidemic on Feb 12 there were over 15,000 new cases. Though the number of daily infections across China has dropped sharply from that peak, China has seen the daily toll creep higher after hitting a trough on March 12 because of the rise in imported cases. Chinese cities near the Russian frontier are tightening border controls and imposing stricter quarantines in response. Suifenhe and Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang, are now mandating 28 days of quarantine as well as nucleic acid and antibody tests for all arrivals from abroad. In Shanghai, authorities found that 60 people who arrived on Aeroflot flight SU208 from Moscow on April 10 have the coronavirus, Zheng Jin, a spokeswoman for the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission, told a press conference on Monday. Residents in Suifenhe said a lot of people had left the city fearing contagion, but others put their trust in authorities' containment measures. "I don't need to worry," Zhao Wei, another Suifenhe resident, told Reuters. "If there's a local transmission, I would, but there's not a single one. They're all from the border, but they've all been sent to quarantine." 

Chinese cities near the border with Russia said yesterday they would tighten border controls and quarantine measures on arrivals from abroad after the number of imported cases of Covid-19 hit a record high. New daily confirmed cases in mainland China reached 99 on April 11, almost doubling from 46 the previous day to a one-month high. All but two of the new recorded cases involved people travelling from abroad, many of them Chinese nationals returning from Russia. In the commercial hub Shanghai, 51 Chinese nationals flying in on the same flight from Russia tested positive while 21 cases involved Chinese nationals travelling from Russia to the northeastern Heilongjiang province. The border city of Suifenhe and Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang, said they would require all arrivals from abroad to undergo 28 days of quarantine, as well as nucleic acid and antibody tests. Harbin added that it would lock down residential units where confirmed and asymptomatic coronavirus cases are found for 14 days. Strict lockdowns had contained the disease in China, where it has killed a recorded 3,339 people since it emerged in the city of Wuhan late last year and then spread around the world. Russia had previously halted all flights into China and closed its land border to incoming traffic from China, leaving the route through remote Suifenhe as one of the few options for many Chinese trying to return home. Suifenhe said yesterday it had banned all types of gatherings and listed businesses that must suspend operations. It also extended the April 9 closure of its border with Russia which had been due to end next week. Residents there heaved a quiet sigh of relief. “Of course people want to come back to China. I’ve been to markets in Russia where Chinese people do business. It’s messy and crowded, no one can be safe from infection there,” said a fruit-seller who goes by a single name Ming. “If the border were to be reopened next week as previously announced, then our city will be stuck with this partial lockdown for the rest of the year.” Others also appeared torn between loyalty towards their fellow countrymen and a desire for self-preservation. Russia had recorded 15,770 cases of Covid-19 of April 12, while the number of deaths rose to 130. A wholesale dealer in Suifenhe surnamed Yuan said: “I worry about my business and I’m scared I’ll catch the virus, but we can’t close our doors to them forever right? They went overseas because they have to make a living, just like us.” Last Wednesday, Suifenhe city announced restrictions on the movement of citizens similar to measures endured in Wuhan, the first virus epicentre which this month emerged from lockdown. State-run CCTV said people should stay in their residential compounds and only one person per family could leave once every three days to buy necessities, and must return on the same day. Chinese ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui told state television on April 7 that there were 160,000 Chinese nationals in Russia. Inner Mongolia also reported 34 imported cases between 7am to 4pm on Sunday, all arriving from Russia, according to a  government statement. Down south, the economic hub of Guangzhou is enforcing precautionary measures on anyone who enters the city from across the national border, regardless of nationality, race or gender, foreign affairs official Liu Baochun told a news conference on Sunday. “The risk of imported cases has increased dramatically,” Wen Guohui, mayor of Guangzhou, said at the same event.

* China's new virus cases double to 99, nearly all imported * 51 Chinese flying in from Russia on one flight all test positive * Guangzhou officials urge foreigners to abide by anti-virus rules  China is stepping up scrutiny of inbound foreigners and tightening border control after the number of single-day imported coronavirus cases set a record, helping double the daily number of newly detected infections. New confirmed cases in mainland China reached 99 on April 11 from 46 the previous day, with all but two involving travellers from abroad. In commercial hub Shanghai, 51 Chinese nationals flying in on the same flight from Russia tested positive. "The risk of imported cases has increased dramatically," Wen Guohui, mayor of Guangzhou, an economic hub in Southern China, told a news conference on Sunday. Guangzhou is enforcing anti-virus measures on anyone who enters the city from across the national border, regardless of nationality, race or gender, foreign affairs official Liu Baochun said at the same event. "We hope foreigners can strictly abide by anti-virus rules as Chinese do," he said. In the northeastern province of Heilongjiang, which reported 21 new, Russia-imported cases on April 11, the local government said its Suifenhe border with Russia will remain closed after April 13. The border was temporarily closed on April 9 to contain the epidemic, and was scheduled to open next week. Even Wuhan, the first virus epicentre which this month emerged from lockdown after containing the virus, is vulnerable to imported infection, China's senior medical advisor Zhong Nanshan said. "At the moment, the epidemic is still spreading rapidly overseas, so China's coastal, major cities with close international contact are highly vulnerable, and could see the epidemic come back again," Zhong told the official People's Daily newspaper in an interview published on Sunday. Zhong cautioned with the world's virus epicentre shifting from Europe to the United States, it is too early to judge whether the pandemic's peak is imminent. "It's not yet time to take off masks," he said, adding China's enforcement of anti-virus measures offers experience to other countries seeking to contain the disease. Mainland China reported 99 new coronavirus cases on April 11, more than doubling from the previous day to reach a one-month high, showed data from China's National Health Commission. Just two out of the 99 cases were locally transmitted. Shanghai contributed more than half of the imported cases. Of the city's new cases, 51 flew in on the same flight from Russia on April 10. The 52nd case involved a Chinese national arriving from a trip to Canada. Shanghai authorities have quarantined 92 other passengers who were in close contact with the infected, the city's health commission said on Sunday. The 21 imported cases confirmed on April 11 in China's Heilongjiang province all involved Chinese nationals travelling from Russia. To help Russia combat the virus, a group of Chinese medical experts arrived in Moscow on Saturday along with a batch of anti-virus equipment, the official Xinhua News Agency reported on Sunday. In addition, highlighting another major source of risk, newly reported asymptomatic coronavirus cases nearly doubled to 63 on April 11, from 34 the previous day. The country's tally of infections now stands at 82,052, with 3,339 deaths. In an apparent response to criticism of mistreatment of foreigners, officials in Guangzhou said it treats foreigners and Chinese nationals equally in enforcing anti-virus measures. Several African countries have demanded that China tackle concerns that Africans in Guangzhou are being mistreated and harassed amid fear the virus could spread from imported cases. "The anti-virus curbs apply to all Chinese citizens and foreigners, with no discrimination in enforcement", Cai Wei, an officer of the city's public security bureau, told a news conference. He said foreigners and nationals alike must abide by rules or else face punishment. Last week, Guangzhou's US consulate said local government officials had ordered bars and restaurants not to serve clients who appeared to be of African origin. Those in contact with anyone from Africa faced mandatory virus tests followed by quarantine, regardless of recent travel history or previous isolation, the US consulate said in a statement, advising African-Americans or those who feared being targeted to stay away.

China reported yesterday a rise in new coronavirus infections, mostly in travellers arriving from abroad, as doctors in the central city of Wuhan, where the virus initially emerged, warned its behaviour was still not well-understood. Tough curbs imposed in China since January have reined in infections sharply since the height of the pandemic in February, although it has spread worldwide to infect 1.6mn people with 100,000 deaths. But Chinese authorities fear the possibility of a second wave triggered by arrivals from overseas or asymptomatic patients. “We can’t say that there is no such potential risk,” said Wang Xinghuan, president of Wuhan’s Leishenshan hospital, its second built especially for virus patients. While some experts do not expect a big second wave, thanks to China’s stringent controls, the possibility could not be ignored, he told reporters. “At present, from the hospital perspective, our understanding of the virus is still very insufficient,” Wang said, during a hospital tour organised by Wuhan officials. For instance, it was not immediately clear how infectious asymptomatic people were, he added. Doctors in China have seen some differences in virus behaviour from that experienced in Europe and the United States, said Zhao Yan, a doctor at Wuhan’s Zhongnan Hospital. “The most obvious one is that in Europe and the United States quite a few people lost their sense of taste and smell, (but) we saw very few such cases,” Zhao told reporters. The National Health Commission said 46 new cases were reported on Friday, including 42 from abroad, up from 42 a day earlier, as Hubei province, whose capital is Wuhan, reported no new cases for a seventh successive day. Of the new imported cases, 22 were in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang, where Chinese nationals crossing over the border from Russia figured in a recent spike in cases. Provincial health officials said all the new imported cases also involved such instances, though the province had one new local case in its capital, Harbin. Elsewhere, Inner Mongolia had a daily tally of 27 new imported cases by Saturday morning, also all from Russia, the region’s health authority said. The region’s city of Manzhouli, along the border with Russia, said it was preparing a new hospital to treat virus patients that would be completed on Tuesday. The rise in cases from abroad has spurred authorities in the southern city of Guangzhou to step up scrutiny of foreigners, ordering bars and restaurants not to serve clients who appear to be of African origin, the city’s US consulate said. Anyone with “African” contacts faces mandatory virus tests followed by quarantine, regardless of recent travel history or previous isolation, it said in a statement, advising African-Americans or those who fear being targeted to stay away. China detected 34 new asymptomatic cases on Friday, down from 47 the previous day, according to the health commission. Mainland China’s tally of infections now stands at 81,953. The death toll rose by three on Friday to 3,339.

Africans in southern China's largest city say they have become targets of suspicion and subjected to forced evictions, arbitrary quarantines and mass coronavirus testing as the country steps up its fight against imported infections. China says it has largely curbed its Covid-19 outbreak but a recent cluster of cases linked to the Nigerian community in Guangzhou sparked the alleged discrimination by locals and virus prevention officials. Local authorities in the industrial centre of 15 million said at least eight people diagnosed with the illness had spent time in the city's Yuexiu district, known as "Little Africa". Five were Nigerian nationals who faced widespread anger after reports surfaced that they had broken a mandatory quarantine and been to eight restaurants and other public places instead of staying home. As a result, nearly 2,000 people they came into contact with had to be tested for Covid-19 or undergo quarantine, state media said. Guangzhou had confirmed 114 imported coronavirus cases as of Thursday -- 16 of which were Africans. The rest were returning Chinese nationals. It has led to Africans becoming targets of suspicion, distrust and racism in China. Several Africans told AFP they had been forcibly evicted from their homes and turned away by hotels. "I've been sleeping under the bridge for four days with no food to eat... I cannot buy food anywhere, no shops or restaurants will serve me," said Tony Mathias, an exchange student from Uganda who was forced from his apartment on Monday. "We're like beggars on the street," the 24-year-old said. Mathias added that police had given him no information about testing or quarantine but instead told him "to go to another city". Police in Guangzhou declined to comment when contacted by AFP. A Nigerian businessman said he was evicted from his apartment earlier this week. "Everywhere the police see us, they will come and pursue us and tell us to go home. But where can we go?" he said. Other Africans said the community had been subject to mass Covid-19 testing even though many had not left China recently, and placed under arbitrary quarantine at home or in hotels. China has banned foreign nationals from entering the country and many travellers are being sent into 14-day quarantines either in their own accommodation or at centralised facilities. Thiam, an exchange student from Guinea, said police ordered him to stay home on Tuesday even after he tested negative for Covid-19 and told officers he had not left China in almost four years. He believes the measures are specifically and unfairly targeting Africans. "All the people I've seen tested are Africans. Chinese are walking around freely but if you're black you can't go out," he said. Denny, a Nigerian trader evicted from his flat on Tuesday, said police moved him to a hotel for quarantine after he spent several days sleeping on the streets. "Even if we have a negative test result, police don't let us stay (in our accommodation) and they don't give a reason why," he said. The infections in Guangzhou have sparked a torrent of abuse online, with many Chinese internet users posting racist comments and calling for all Africans to be deported. Last week a controversial cartoon depicting foreigners as different types of trash to be sorted through went viral on social media. "There's just this crazy fear that anybody who's African might have been in contact with somebody who was sick," said David, a Canadian living in Guangzhou who did not want to give his full name. China's foreign ministry acknowledged this week that there had been some "misunderstandings" with the African community. "I want to emphasise that the Chinese government treats all foreigners in China equally," said spokesman Zhao Lijian on Thursday, urging local officials to "improve their working mechanisms". The complaints in Guangzhou contrast with a welcome reception to Chinese efforts in battling the coronavirus across the African continent, where Beijing this week donated medical supplies to 18 countries. "When China engages Africa it's the central government that does that, but when it comes to immigration enforcement that happens at the local level," said Eric Olander, managing editor of the China Africa Project. "That explains why there's an inconsistency in the more upbeat messaging we hear about Chinese diplomacy on the continent and the increasingly difficult realities that African traders, students and other expatriates face in their day-to-day lives in China."

* Northeastern province sees spike as Chinese return from Russia * Hubei reports no new cases for 7th straight day  China reported on Saturday a rise in new coronavirus cases, as authorities try to head off a second wave of infections, particularly from imported and asymptomatic cases, as curbs on cities and travel are lifted. The National Health Commission said 46 new cases were reported on Friday, including 42 involving travellers from abroad, up from 42 cases a day earlier. In its statement the commission added that 34 new asymptomatic cases were reported, down from 47 the previous day. Mainland China's tally of infections now stands at 81,953. The death toll rose by three to 3,339. Tough curbs imposed since January helped rein in infections sharply from the height of the pandemic in February. But policymakers fear a second wave triggered by arrivals from overseas or asymptomatic patients. Northeastern Heilongjiang recently reported a spike in new cases because of Chinese nationals entering the province from Russia, which has seen a surge of cases. Provincial health officials said it had 22 new imported cases on Friday, all Chinese nationals coming from Russia, and one new local case, in its capital of Harbin. Inner Mongolia had a daily tally of 27 new imported cases by Saturday morning, all from Russia, the region's health authority said. The central province of Hubei, where the virus emerged late last year, reported no new cases for a seventh successive day. Since the epidemic broke out in the provincial capital of Wuhan, it has spread around the world, infecting 1.6 million people and killing more than 100,000.

China’s Wuhan city, where the global coronavirus pandemic began, is still testing residents regularly despite relaxing its tough two-month lockdown, with the country wary of a rebound in cases even as it sets its sights on normalising the economy.  Concerns remain over an influx of infected patients from overseas as well as China’s ability to detect asymptomatic patients, and the government in Wuhan has tried to reassure the public that it remains vigilant. Feng Jing, who runs a group of community workers looking after the Tanhualin neighbourhood in Wuhan, said during a government-run tour for journalists yesterday that they would continue to carry out extensive checks on residents.  “We carry out comprehensive health checks everyday and keep detailed records of their health condition,” she said, adding that there is no likelihood of asymptomatic cases in her community. “Currently our neighbourhood is an epidemic-free community – it’s been 45 days so far, so we don’t have this situation,” she said. China reported a fall in new coronavirus cases yesterday after leaders promised to accelerate the country’s economic recovery, boost domestic demand and put more people back to work. The country reported 42 new cases on Thursday, down from 63 a day earlier.  Of the daily total, 38 were imported, down from 61 on Wednesday. China’s central government coronavirus taskforce chaired by Premier Li Keqiang said on Thursday that they would speed up efforts to revive the economy while at the same time introducing targeted measures aimed at preventing infected people from crossing the country’s border. It said China now needed to “actively create favourable conditions” to restore normality in the economy, though it warned there was still a risk of a rebound in cases.  In Shanghai, state media have also been deployed to dispel online rumours that the city has now become “the most dangerous place in the country” as thousands of people flood in from Wuhan, including many asymptomatic and recovered patients. With the government now promising to deploy resources to tackle high-risk areas, much of the focus has shifted to Heilongjiang, which reported 28 new imported cases crossing the border from Russia on Thursday. The province has so far found 154 cases of imported infections. The virus, which first broke out in Wuhan in late 2019, has since spread around the world infecting more than 1.4mn people, killing more than 87,700. Officials in Wuhan said the city will spend 200mn yuan ($28.4mn) to upgrade the city’s 425 farmers’ markets, as part of a campaign to improve hygiene. Several of the early cases of Covid-19 were linked to a seafood market in Wuhan that also sold other species, suggesting that the new virus may have jumped from an animal traded there to people. “Hubei will renovate the province’s farmers’ markets, and ban trade of wild animals and live animals when they reopen,” Hong Zhihua, vice director of Hubei’s Patriotic Health Campaign Committee Office, told a press briefing.  Liu Qingxiang, vice director at Wuhan’s health commission, said infrastructure in the markets would be improved and become more similar to supermarkets. The pandemic has wreaked havoc on the global economy as governments imposed lockdowns to rein in its spread.

Voicing joy and excitement from behind face masks, tens of thousands of people fled Wuhan yesterday after a 76-day travel ban was lifted on the Chinese city where the coronavirus first emerged.  Previously quiet train and bus stations bustled as an exodus began from the city of 11mn, with some passengers wearing hazmat suits.  Hao Mei, a single parent from the nearby city of Enshi, said her two children had been home alone since she got stuck in Wuhan, where she works in a school kitchen.  “You have no idea! I was already up around 4am. I felt so good. My kids are so excited. Mum is finally coming home,” the 39-year-old told AFP as she waited to board a train.  “At the start of the lockdown, I cried every night. I was really miserable, because my little girl is still young, she’s only 10.”  Up to 55,000 people were expected to leave Wuhan yesterday just by train, according to government estimates.  Steady streams of cars hit the road yesterday morning, with barricades on the city’s outskirts dismantled after the ban on outbound travel was lifted at midnight. Ferries, trams and taxis resumed operations and the airport also opened again for domestic flights, with queueing passengers in protective wear wheeling cases and staff spraying disinfectant on the floor.  State news agency Xinhua said there would be around 200 flights on Wednesday.  A group of medics leaving Wuhan tearfully hugged colleagues from the city goodbye as they prepared to board flights home.  Wuhan led the world with an unprecedented quarantine lockdown on January 23 in a bid to stop the spread of the then-mysterious respiratory virus. Chinese disease control officials said in January that the virus likely leapt from wildlife to humans at a Wuhan market that sold wild animals for food.  The rest of surrounding Hubei province quickly followed Wuhan, cutting tens of millions of people off from the world.  As the virus spread rapidly around the globe, around half of humanity has been forced into some form of lockdown. But while the pandemic continues to worsen in many other parts of the world, with the global death toll surpassing 80,000, quarantine measures have appeared to pay off in China.  The officially reported number of new deaths has plummeted in recent weeks.  China’s ruling Communist Party – accused of a slow-footed response and an initial attempt to cover up the outbreak – has portrayed its subsequent containment efforts as a huge success.   “Wuhan deserves to be called the city of heroes,” blared an announcement on one of the city’s train station PA systems yesterday.  “Wuhan has lost a lot in this epidemic, and Wuhan people have paid a big price,” a 21-year-old man surnamed Yao, who was heading back to his restaurant job in Shanghai, told AFP.  “Now that the lockdown has been lifted, I think we’re all pretty happy.” Restrictions began to be eased for residents of Hubei, which has suffered the majority of China’s officially reported 3,300 deaths, about two weeks ago.  Authorities, however, waited until yesterday to allow normal traffic out of provincial capital Wuhan amid lingering fears elsewhere in China that people from the city pose a risk.  Those fears were clearly evident throughout Wuhan despite the buzz of excitement.   At the city’s Hankou station, a robot whizzed through crowds of passengers, spraying their feet with disinfectant and playing a recorded message reminding them to wear face masks.  Passengers had to submit to temperature checks and show a green “health code” on their phone, meaning they are considered healthy and can travel.  Part of the “health code” approval is based on their neighbourhood being virus-free.  A postgraduate student surnamed Xu at the station said she had been made to do a nucleic acid test and receive written approval before she could even leave her residential compound.  Many travellers from Wuhan will also face two-week quarantines at their destination.  Eastern Zhejiang province said all arrivals from Wuhan in the next two weeks must take a virus test.  Various restrictions on movement within the sprawling metropolis will also remain in place to guard against a second wave of infections.  The state-run People’s Daily newspaper warned that opening up “does not mean releasing control”.  Schools in Wuhan will remain closed and citizens are being discouraged from leaving the city, or even their own neighbourhoods.  AFP saw extra reinforcements had been placed around the perimeter of one neighbourhood in the city to make sure residents could not sneak out except through monitored entrances.  Wuhan public security bureau official Yan Qiangsheng told reporters that “lifting the lockdown doesn’t mean stopping the anti-virus measures we have in place.”

India on Wednesday reported its biggest jump in Covid-19-related deaths and cases in the past 24 hours making a complete easing of a countrywide lockdown on April 15 look unlikely. The latest Health Ministry data added 35 deaths between Tuesday and Wednesday morning, taking the total number of casualties to 149. The number of cases stood at 5,194, a jump of 773. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 21-day lockdown on March 24 to contain a possible surge of new coronavirus cases in the country of 1.3 billion people. All except those working in health care and providing essential services and commodities were asked to stay at home. Flights, train and vehicular traffic were stopped and borders between states sealed. The countrywide lockdown is due to end on April 14, but as the number of cases continues to rise, several state governments have indicated they would prefer an extension or a graded easing. The government has been holding consultations between different departments, state governments, industry leaders and health experts. Modi held a meeting with leaders of major political parties Wednesday. Most have advised a phased exit from the lockdown to balance health concerns with the economic damage it has caused, NDTV news channel reported citing top government officials. A panel of federal ministers has advised extending the closure of schools and colleges and the banning of religious and other gatherings until May 15. Modi is due to hold a meeting with the chief ministers of all states on Saturday and the federal government's stance is expected to be announced after that.

* Wuhan city lifts lockdown * Around 55,000 people expected to leave Wuhan * Northern city shuts down as infections surge * Fear of second wave of infections The Chinese city where the coronavirus epidemic first broke out, Wuhan, ended a two-month lockdown on Wednesday, but a northern town started restricting the movement of its residents amid concerns of a second wave of infections in mainland China. China sealed off Wuhan, a city of 11 million people, in late January to stop the spread of the virus. Over 50,000 people in Wuhan caught the virus, and more than 2,500 of them died, about 80% of all deaths in China, according to official figures. The virus has since become a global pandemic that has infected over 1.4 million people and killed 82,000, wreaking havoc on the global economy as governments worldwide imposed sweeping lockdowns to rein in its spread. Restrictions in Wuhan have eased in recent days as the capital of Hubei province reported just three new confirmed infections in the past 21 days and only two new infections in the past fortnight. But even as people leave the city, new imported cases in the northern province of Heilongjiang surged to a daily high of 25, fuelled by an influx of infected travellers arriving from Russia, which shares a land border with the province. Suifenhe City in Heilongjiang restricted the movement of its citizens on Wednesday in a similar fashion to that of Wuhan. Residents must stay in residential compounds and one person from a family can leave once every three days to buy necessities and must return on the same day, said state-run CCTV. In Jiaozhou City in the eastern province of Shandong the risk level had risen from low to medium, according to a post on an official website, but it gave no further details. A county in central China with a population of about 600,000 went into a partial lockdown on April 1 following several new infections, including at least two asymptomatic cases. LEAVING WUHAN Around 55,000 people are expected to leave Wuhan by train on Wednesday. More than 10,000 travellers have left the city by plane so far as flights resume at Wuhan Tianhe airport. Flights to Beijing and international locations have not been restored. ‘I'm very happy, I'm going home today,’ migrant worker Liu Xiaomin told Reuters as she stood with her suitcases inside Wuhan's Hankou railway station, bound for Xiangyang city. Still, Wuhan residents have been urged not to leave the province, their city or even their neighbourhood unless absolutely necessary. People from Wuhan arriving in the Chinese capital Beijing will have to undergo two rounds of testing for the virus. China is maintaining strict screening protocols, concerned about any resurgence in domestic transmissions due to virus carriers who exhibit no symptoms and infected travellers arriving from overseas. IMPORTED CASES Authorities are chiefly concerned with imported infections and asymptomatic cases, people who have been infected with the virus but do not show any symptoms such as fever or a cough. Mainland China's new coronavirus cases doubled over the past 24 hours as the number of infected overseas travellers surged, while new asymptomatic infections more than quadrupled. New confirmed cases rose to 62 on Tuesday from 32 a day earlier, the National Health Commission said, the highest since March 25. New imported infections accounted for 59 of the cases. The number of new asymptomatic cases rose to 137 from 30 a day earlier, the health authority said on Wednesday, with incoming travellers accounting for 102 of the latest batch. Chinese authorities do not count asymptomatic cases as part of its tally of confirmed coronavirus infections until patients show symptoms such as a fever or a cough. As of Tuesday, 1,095 asymptomatic patients were under medical observation in China, with 358 of them travellers arriving from abroad. To stem infections from outside its borders, China has slashed the number of international flights and denied entry to virtually all foreigners. It also started testing all international arrivals for the virus this month. Screening of travellers arriving overland was also recently tightened. As of Tuesday, the total number of confirmed cases in mainland China stood at 81,802, including 3,333 fatalities, the National Health Commission said.