World News

Dissident doctor who exposed China’s Aids epidemic, dies at 95

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Gao Yaojie, a renowned dissident doctor who exposed the Aids epidemic in rural China, has died aged 95.

Dr Gao died of natural causes in New York, where she had been in exile since 2009, a friend of hers told the BBC.

Her work uncovered how businesses selling blood led to the spread of HIV in the countryside.

She was at the forefront of Aids activism in China and travelled across the country treating patients, often at her own expense.

A gynaecologist by training, Dr Gao encountered her first AIDS patient in the central province of Henan in 1996.

Selling blood was common in rural areas such as Henan, where Dr Gao lived, in the 1980s and 1990s.

Limited economic opportunities among farming communities left them with few other options to make a living – and blood-selling was often backed by local governments.

But with few cases of HIV being diagnosed in rural China at the time, and low awareness of the disease, blood was also collected from HIV+ patients, leading to the spread of the disease.

Dr Gao had claimed that 10 million people were infected with HIV in China, far greater than Beijing’s official figure of 740,000. But this was disputed by officials.

While Dr Gao was not the first the Chinese doctor to speak up about the country’s Aids epidemic, it was her work that gained the most attention at home and abroad.

She also won numerous awards for it.Chinese authorities were initially lenient but later grew uncomfortable with her criticism of officials.

She left China in 2009, in the face of surveillance and growing pressure from authorities.

She moved to New York eventually and lived there until she died. Despite her long absence from China, her death has been mourned by some Chinese online.

“She was a great figure. But young people nowadays may not know about that history,” said one user on social media platform Weibo.

“Our generation of news workers or news readers know her and remember her. It [the news] also reminded me of other Chinese doctors’ names such as Jiang Yanyong and Li Wenliang,” said Chinese journalist Li Weiao on Weibo, referring to the whistleblowers of the Sars outbreak of 2003 and the Covid pandemic respectively.

World News

China deported ‘large number’ of North Korean defectors – Seoul

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South Korea says China has forcibly repatriated a “large number” of North Korean defectors.

This follows recent reports from human rights groups claiming that as many as 600 North Koreans have been sent back.

Seoul said on Friday that the reports appear to be true, but did not confirm the exact number who were repatriated.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the defectors, mostly women, could face imprisonment, sexual violence or even death once back in the North.

Sources in China have reported that hundreds were put on trucks and sent from their detention centres to North Korea on Monday night.

“The government’s position is that under no circumstances should North Koreans living abroad be forcibly repatriated against their will. Forced repatriation against one’s will is a violation of the international norm of non-refoulement,” said Koo Byoung-sam, a spokesman for the South’s Unification Ministry.

Non-refoulement means refugees and asylum seekers should not be made to return to countries where they could face persecution.

Mr Koo said South Korea has protested to China and reiterated its position. He declined to give further details.

UN special rapporteur on human rights in North Korea Elizabeth Salmon estimates that some 2,000 North Koreans are being held in China for crossing the border without permission.

China does not recognise North Korean defectors as refugees. It claims they are “economic migrants” and has a policy of sending them back, despite requests from foreign governments and human rights organisations to reconsider its stance.

Asked about the reported repatriations, China’s foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Thursday there was “no such thing as so-called ‘North Korean defectors’ in China”.

He said Beijing upholds a “responsible attitude” towards North Koreans who enter China illegally for economic reasons, according to Reuters.

Concerns about forced returns of North Korean defectors have grown since Pyongyang announced the reopening of its borders in August, said HRW. Since July 2021, it has confirmed the repatriation of almost 170 defectors in total.

HRW added that the latest returnees were at “grave risk” of being detained in forced labour camps. They also face the prospect of torture, enforced disappearance and execution.

The rights group urged governments around the world to “denounce China’s latest returns and call for an end to future forced returns”.

It also called on Beijing to either grant the North Korean defectors refugee status, or give them safe passage to South Korea or other countries.

World News

China reports first human death caused by bird flu

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China has notified the World Health Organisation (WHO) that a woman infected with the H3N8 bird flu died in March.

The case is only the third known human case ever and the first to result in death from the strain. The two previous cases were reported in China last April and May, the WHO said.

In the latest incident, a 56-year-old woman from south-eastern Guangdong province died on March 16 after falling ill in February and being hospitalised for severe pneumonia.

“The patient had multiple underlying conditions. She had a history of exposure to live poultry before the onset of the disease and a history of wild bird presence around her home,’’ the UN health body said, citing information from China’s National Health Commission.

None of her close contacts has developed an infection or symptoms of illness.The WHO said a poultry market near her residence could have been the source of her infection.

Samples collected from the market were positive for the influenza A(H3) subtype.

In the two previous cases, one patient developed a critical illness, and the older one had mild symptoms. The WHO said direct or indirect exposure to infected poultry was the likely origin.The WHO said the risk to humans remained low.

“The available epidemiological and virological information suggests that avian influenza A(H3N8) viruses do not have the capacity for sustained transmission among humans,” it explained.

“Therefore, the current assessment is that the likelihood of human-to-human spread is low.”

Politics

China meets President-elect Tinubu on trade, diplomatic relations with Nigeria

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The Chinese government said its delegation headed by its ambassador to Nigeria has met with President-elect Bola Tinubu to discuss diplomatic and trade relations.

China said it had identified people-to-people cooperation, which leads to cultural exchanges, as one of the main focus areas in its relationship with Nigeria and other countries.

Chinese ambassador to Nigeria, Cui Jianchun, said this at a one-day seminar held at the University of Abuja on Tuesday day.He added that he was ready to work with the new administration to be sworn in on May 29.

“I have talked with the president-elect and the vice-president-elect, and I believe we shared a lot of ideas, and I have also shared my ideas and practices with the current President Buhari, and China believes that the current president has set a very solid foundation for the next government,” Mr Cui said.

“In spite of the challenges Nigeria faced, the country has smart, hardworking and talented people.”

The seminar had as its theme ‘Chinese Harmony and China-Nigeria Symphony’.Mr Cui said policy coordination, financial integration, facilities connectivity, and trade and investment were the other cooperation priorities of its government.

The ambassador explained that policy coordination included planning and supporting large-scale infrastructural development projects, and financial integration included enhancing monetary coordination and bilateral financial cooperation.

He also described trade and investment as facilitating cross-border investments and supply chain cooperation, and the facilities connectivity included building facilities to enable connectivity along the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The BRI, also called the New Silk Road, is a China-led infrastructure project that aims to stretch globally.

The initiative was launched in 2013 by President Xi Jinping and had a collection of development and investment initiatives originally devised to link East Asia and Europe through physical infrastructure.

The project has, however, expanded to Africa, Oceania, and Latin America.Moreover, Mr Cui said the trade value between China and the BRI countries was ¥13.8, approximately N923 trillion or $2 trillion, which Nigeria is part of.

“The BRI is an initiative proposed by the Chinese government aimed at promoting Nigeria-China, Africa-China relations. It is good to try to increase trade among the big countries, not only the individual countries. Nigeria and China have huge potentials, which both countries can work together to harness,” explained the Chinese ambassador.

Mr Cui added;

“The most important thing is how we can increase our productivity in Nigeria, and I am working hard on trying to build industries, trying to get Chinese investment. I do believe in the future that we can have products exported to Chinese markets.”

The envoy, who said BRI had achieved its objectives, urged both countries to explore the extensive consultations, enjoy the contributions, and share the benefits.

Entertainment, Lifestyle

The Chinese are getting richer while Nigerians wake up every morning to set up imaginary fire altars of prayer and pray for destiny helpers – DaddyFreeze

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Media personality, DaddyFreeze, has once again taken a swipe at Nigerian Christians.

In a post shared on his Instagram page, Daddy Freeze said that Chinese men and women do not pray and that up to ”90% of them are irreligious, yet they produce billionaires in USD every 5 days, unlike Nigeria where people set up imaginary fire altars, pray for destiny helpers and yet we have only three USD billionaires.”

World News

China approves world’s first inhalable Covid-19 vaccine

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Chinese drug regulators have approved the world’s first inhalable Covid-19 vaccine, made by Tianjin-based manufacturer, CanSino Biologics, boosting the company’s share price by seven percent on Monday.

The National Medical Products Administration gave the go-ahead for the vaccine for emergency use as a booster, the company said in a statement to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Sunday.

Following the announcement, company shares surged 14 per cent on Monday morning before closing 7.1 per cent higher than their opening value.The needle-free vaccine – which can be stored and administered more easily than intramuscular jabs – will be given through a nebuliser, the company said.

“The approval will have a positive impact on the company’s performance if the vaccine is subsequently purchased and used by relevant government agencies,” the statement added.

The company did not offer details on when the adenovirus-vectored vaccine will be made available for public use.There is no publicly available verified or peer-reviewed data on the efficacy of the new vaccine.

Scientists in several countries including Cuba, Canada and the United States are also trialling inhalable Covid-19 vaccines.

China has so far approved eight other locally manufactured injectable vaccines since 2020.

But the country’s drug administrator is yet to greenlight any foreign vaccines, including mRNA shots produced by Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna that have better efficacy rates compared to other types of vaccines.

China is the only major economy sticking to a zero-Covid policy, disrupting travel and businesses.Officials across the country are now under pressure to curb local virus flare-ups ahead of a key political meeting next month.

The southern tech hub of Shenzhen, with more than 18 million residents, imposed a weekend lockdown in most parts of the city on Saturday, while more than 21 million people in the southwestern metropolis of Chengdu are undergoing mass testing from Monday through Wednesday.

China has administered over 3.4 billion Covid shots, the National Health Commission said Monday without offering details on the percentage of the population vaccinated.

World News

Groom-to-be killed by lightning strike while posing for engagement photoshoot with his fiancée

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A groom-to-be has died after being struck by lightning while posing for engagement photos with his fiancée in a popular tourist spot in China.

The horrific incident occurred at China’s Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in Yunnan province last week.

The man identified as Ruan, was hit by a lightning bolt during a wedding photoshoot with his fiancée at the Spruce Meadow, a popular scenic spot.

He was rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead, South China Morning Post reported.

Before the lightning struck, Chinese authorities reportedly issued a yellow weather warning, the third highest in the country’s weather system.

Despite the thunderstorm, the couple decided to go ahead with their planned photoshoot.

Pictures showed the rescue crew carrying the man on a stretcher in heavy rain.

Politics

China missing from top spot, as data shows Nigeria’s major investors by country

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Nigeria in 2021 attracted $6.7 billion worth of investment from 52 countries around the world through various instruments which included, bonds, equity and trade.

Out of this amount, Mauritius, the United States of America, the United Kingdom, the Republic of South Africa, and Singapore were Nigeria’s top investors.

According to the Nigerian Capital Importation (Q4 2021) data provided by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) investments from the aforementioned nations contributed more than 77% of the total.

United Kingdom led the table as investments from that country crossed over $2.28 billion.

South Africa came next with a $1.05 billion investment inflow to Nigeria, Mauritius with $690.91 million sits in third.

Netherlands and Singapore were fourth and fifth with $677.54 million and $464.40 million respectively.

China ranks 24th among the 52 countries as investments from the Asian country stood at $10.42 million.

Politics

We want to help reduce poverty by sending Nigerians to China – Chinese Ambassador

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The Chinese ambassador to Nigeria, Cui Jianchun, has said the China is ready to help Nigeria reduce by sending young Nigerians to China to understudy the system and return to impact the Nigerian system.

Jianchun disclosed this on Tuesday during the closing of the Nigeria-China Cultural week and award ceremony, a lineup of activities to commemorate the October 1 independence day of both countries.

I am hoping that next year after COVID-19, I am thinking of a possibility of how we can get young people from Nigeria to go to China and learn from the Chinese side, get experience. I believe that if China can do that, Nigeria can also. We can apply the Chinese not only model but the way of eradicating poverty.

“I think there is a need for the two countries to work on this poverty eradication. You know you have your goal. I think this is a very meaningful thing not only for Nigerian people but also for the international community,” he said.

The envoy had earlier revealed that Chinese government was in talks with Chinese-owned banks to establish operations in Nigeria.

Business, World News

China’s economy grows in post Covid era

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China’s economy grew a record 18.3% in the first quarter of 2021 compared to the same quarter last year.

It’s the biggest jump in gross domestic product (GDP) since China started keeping quarterly records in 1992.

However, Friday’s figures are below expectations, with a Reuters poll of economists predicting 19% growth.

They are also heavily skewed, and less indicative of strong growth, as they are compared to last year’s huge economic contraction.

In the first quarter of 2020, China’s economy shrank 6.8% due to nationwide lockdowns at the peak of its Covid-19 outbreak.

“The national economy made a good start,” said China’s National Bureau of Statistics, which released the first quarter data.

But it added: “We must be aware that the Covid-19 epidemic is still spreading globally and the international landscape is complicated with high uncertainties and instabilities.”

Other key figures released by China’s statistics department also point to a continuing rebound, but are also unusually strong because they are compared against extremely weak numbers from last year.

Industrial output for March rose 14.1% over a year ago, while retail sales grew 34.2%.

World News

China and Russia to build lunar space station

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China and Russia have announced plans to build a lunar space station.

Russian space agency Roscosmos says it has signed an agreement with China’s National Space Administration to develop research facilities on the surface of the moon, in orbit or both.

A statement from both countries’ space agencies says it will be available for use by other nations.

It comes as Russia prepares to celebrate the 60th anniversary of its first-ever manned space flight.

The International Scientific Lunar Station will carry out a wide range of scientific research including exploration and utilisation of the moon, a statement from both agencies said.

“China and Russia will use their accumulated experience in space science, research and development and use of space equipment and space technology to jointly develop a road map for the construction of an international lunar scientific research station,” the statement (in Mandarin) said.

It added that both Russia and China will collaborate in the planning, design, development and operation of the research station.

Chen Lan, an analyst who specialises in China’s space programme, told AFP news agency that the project was a “big deal”.

“This will be the largest international space cooperation project for China, so it’s significant,” he said.

China is a relatively late bloomer when it comes to the world of space exploration but last December its Chang’e-5 probe successfully brought back rock and “soil” it picked up from the moon. At the time it was seen as another demonstration of the country’s increasing capability in space.

Russia, which pioneered space exploration, has been eclipsed by China and the United States in recent years. Last year it lost its monopoly on taking astronauts to the International Space station following SpaceX’s successful launch.

The US has announced plans to return to the moon by 2024. The programme, called Artemis, will see a man and woman step on the lunar surface in what would be the first landing with humans since 1972.

World News

China to conduct mandatory COVID-19 anal swabs on Nigerians, other travellers

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In addition to nasal or throat swab tests, foreign travellers into China would now undergo mandatory anal swab testing, the state media said.

The Chinese Center for Disease Control says the anal swab test is performed with a sterile cotton swab, which looks like a very long ear bud, that is inserted 3 cm to 5 cm (1.2 inches to 2 inches) into the anus before being gently rotated out.

The Times UK on Wednesday said that a resrespiratory disease expert, Li Tongzeng believed that results from the anal swabs test were more accurate than others since coronavirus traces can be detectable in the anus for longer than in the respiratory tract.

The Times further disclosed that anal swab testing hubs would be in place at the Beijing and Shanghai airports.

The anal swab test has been stoking debate over its necessity. The Chief Cabinet Secretary, the Japanese government, Katsunobuh Kato, had asked the Chinese government at a news conference to stop performing the new testing method on its citizens who complained of ‘psychological pain” after the test.

However, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, Wang Wenbin, who disclosed that the screening is “science-based,” explained that the new testing method was performed “in accordance with the changes in the epidemic situation as well as relevant laws and regulations.”

World News

China execute former bank executive for corruption

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A former head of a Chinese state-owned asset management company, China Huarong Asset Management Company, Lai Xiaomin, has been executed after a court sentenced him to death on charges of corruption, bribe taking and bigamy.

Xiaomin who was sentenced to death by a court in Tianjin, east of Beijing, on January 5, was executed on Friday after President Xi Jinping signed the warrant for his execution.

The Second Intermediate People’s Court had ruled that the death sentence of the 54-year-old former bank executive was justified because he took “especially enormous” bribes to make investments, offer construction contracts, help with promotions and provide other favors.

According to prosecutors, Xiaomin had “asked for or collected 1.8 billion yuan ($260 million) over a decade” while he was the head of the company set up in the 1990s to buy non-performing loans from government-owned banks.

Under Xiaomin who was the Chairman of the company, it expanded into banking, insurance, real estate finance and other fields.

Court documents said one bribe exceeded 600 million yuan ($93 million). He was also convicted of embezzling more than 25 million yuan ($4 million) and starting a second family while still married to his first wife.

The accused “endangered national financial security and financial stability and the death penalty “was his own responsibility, and he deserved it,” the judge had said during the judgment.

Xiaomin was placed under investigation by the ruling Communist Party’s anti-corruption watchdog in 2018 and expelled from the party later the same year.

He was also accused by the anti-corruption agency of squandering public money, illegally organizing banquets, engaging in sexual dealings with multiple women and taking bribes while investigators seized hundreds of millions of yuan (tens of millions of dollars) in cash from his properties.

Key Phrase: Former Chinese bank executive executed for corruption

World News

China Suspends Entry of Non-Chinese Nationals from Nigeria

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The Chinese government has announced the temporary suspension of entry into China of non-Chinese nationals in Nigeria holding visas or residence permits.

The Chinese Embassy and Consulate in Nigeria in a statement issued Wednesday, however, said that holders of diplomatic, service, courtesy or C visas would not be affected.

It however added that foreign nationals visiting China for emergency needs may apply for visas at Chinese Embassy or Consulate.

It stated: “Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, China has decided to temporarily suspend entry into China by non-Chinese nationals in Nigeria holding visas or residence permits still valid at the time of this announcement. The Chinese Embassy and Consulate in Nigeria will no longer issue Certified Health Declaration Form for the above-mentioned personnel.

“Entry by holders of diplomatic, service, courtesy or C visas will not be affected. Foreign nationals visiting China for emergency needs may apply for visas at Chinese Embassy or Consulate. Entry by non-Chinese nationals in Nigeria with visas issued after 3 November 2020 will not be affected.

“The suspension is a temporary response necessitated by the current situation of Covid-19. The above-mentioned measures will be assessed in accordance with the evolving situation and any adjustment will be announced accordingly.”

Business

China’s Economy Continues To Accelerate Despite Covid-19 Pandemic

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BEIJING (AP) — China’s shaky economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic is gaining strength as consumers return to shopping malls and auto dealerships while the United States and Europe endure painful contractions.

The world’s second-largest economy expanded by 4.9% over a year ago in the three months ending in September, official data showed Monday. Retail spending rebounded to above pre-virus levels for the first time and factory output rose, boosted by demand for exports of masks and other medical supplies.

The recovery is broadening out and becoming less reliant on government stimulus, Julian Evans-Pritchard of Capital Economics said in a report. He said growth is “still accelerating” heading into the present quarter.

China, where the pandemic began in December, became the first major economy to return to growth after the ruling Communist Party declared the disease under control in March and began reopening factories, shops and offices.

It is the only major economy that is expected to grow this year while activity in the United States, Europe and Japan shrinks.

The Chinese economy expanded by 3.2% over a year earlier in the three months ending in June, rebounding from the previous quarter’s 6.8% contraction, its worst performance since at least the mid-1960s.

The economy “continued the steady recovery,” the National Bureau of Statistics said in a report. However, it warned, “the international environment is still complicated and severe.” It said China faces great pressure to prevent a resurgence of the virus.

Authorities have lifted curbs on travel and business but visitors to government and other public buildings still are checked for the virus’s telltale fever. Travelers arriving from abroad must be quarantined for two weeks.

Last week, more than 10 million people were tested for the virus in the eastern port of Qingdao after 12 cases were found there. That broke a two-month streak with no virus transmissions reported within China.

Industrial production rose 5.8% over the same quarter last year, a marked improvement over the first half’s 1.3% contraction. Chinese exporters are taking market share from foreign competitors that still are hampered by anti-virus controls.

Retail sales rose 0.9% over a year earlier. That was up from a 7.2% contraction in the first half as consumers, already anxious about a slowing economy and a tariff war with Washington, put off buying. Online commerce rose 15.3%.

In a sign demand is accelerating, sales in September rose 3.3%.

“China’s recovery in private consumption is gathering momentum,” said Stephen Innes of AxiCorp in a report.

China has reported 4,634 coronavirus deaths and 85,685 confirmed cases, plus three suspected cases.

Economists say China is likely to recover faster than other major economies due to the ruling party’s decision to impose the most intensive anti-disease measures in history. Those temporarily cut off most access to cities with a total of 60 million people.

The International Monetary Fund is forecasting China’s economic growth at 1.8% this year while the U.S. economy is expected to shrink by 4.3%. The IMF expects a 9.8% contraction in France, 6% in Germany and 5.3% in Japan.

Private sector analysts say as much as 30% of China’s urban workforce, or up to 130 million people, may have lost their jobs at least temporarily. They say as many as 25 million jobs might be lost for good this year.

The ruling party promised in May to spend $280 billion on meeting goals including creating 9 million new jobs. But it has avoided joining the United States and Japan in rolling out stimulus packages of $1 trillion or more due to concern about adding to already high Chinese debt.

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