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[Vietnam] PM orders lockdown of Chí Linh City, Vân Đồn int’l airport over major COVID-19 clusters

Jan 29. 2021A checkpoint set up in Quảng Ninh Province on Thursday after a major cluster of COVID-19 infections were detected. — VNA/VNS Photo

By Viet Nam News/ANN

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc issued a directive on Thursday ordering a 21-day lockdown of a northern city of more than 200,000 people and the closure of a large international airport, following the detection of major clusters of community COVID-19 cases.

The 84 new cases reported earlier Thursday morning represent the biggest increase of local transmission cases in Việt Nam since the pandemic began, the directive noted, adding that the many cases found in Hải Dương Province with a highly transmissible variant of the virus first reported in the UK might lead to widespread infections.

The lockdown of Chí Linh City in Hải Dương Province, where cases of the new variant of coronavirus in the community were announced earlier Thursday morning – and likely more to come – was in effect starting at noon on Thursday.

Residents are asked to stay home and only leave their places of residence for essential needs (buying food, medicines, or medical emergencies), go to work (at agencies, factories, business and service establishments deemed essential and not told to close down), and other emergencies.

Outside the places of residence or workplace, meetings and gatherings of more than two people are forbidden, while a distance of two metres must be kept.

All schools, entertainment venues, and non-essential businesses will be shut down.

Public transport out of Chí Linh City, except in cases of official affairs or other urgent needs, is suspended.

Operations of personal vehicles will be reduced.

However, the directive noted that measures should be in place to make sure that the transport of goods and materials for production activities must go on uninterrupted.

The order to shut down the operations of Vân Đồn International Airport in Quảng Ninh Province, where 10 cases of COVID-19 were detected among security personnel, is also effective from noon on Thursday and lasting for 14 days.

The directive told the chairs of Hải Dương Province People’s Committee and Quảng Ninh Province People’s Committee to shut down all businesses failing to comply with COVID-19 measures, and charges the local leaders with the responsibility to direct swift contact tracing and suppressing the outbreak, mass testing as well as place all suspected cases – including direct contacts of confirmed COVID-19 patients – under 21-day quarantine.

The chairmen also have the authority to impose various degrees of social distancing restrictions over areas that the authorities deem necessary, depending on the outbreak situation.

Health workers collecting samples from close contacts of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Hưng Đạo Commune, Chí Linh City, Hải Dương Province on Thursday. — VNA/VNS Photo Mạnh Ninh

Elsewhere

The administrations of centrally-directed provinces and cities will need to carry out thorough evaluation of pandemic prevention measures across all establishments and facilities – including factories, schools, industrial zones, and places where large gatherings occur – and impose social distancing measures when needed.

People are told to wear masks, keep a distance, and avoid congregating in crowds.

The directive also asks the Ministry of Health to provide resources to help Quảng Ninh and Hải Dương stamp out the outbreak, and prepare scenarios and plans to deal with a worsening situation.

The Ministry of National Defence, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Health, and local governments must step up stringent management of foreign arrivals and strictly handle the illegal entries.

Earlier in the morning, Quảng Ninh’s authorities ordered the closure of all schools from kindergarten to universities at least until Sunday, pending further notice.

The province also set up barriers and checkpoints to control entry and exit from the province.

Many localities in the country – HCM City, Đà Nẵng City, Bắc Giang Province and Nghệ An Province – have also started to urge people to avoid large crowds and cut down on festivals, and practice safety measures. — VNS

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Suga, Biden reconfirm Senkaku treaty protection in 1st phone talks

Jan 29. 2021Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga speaks to reporters at the Prime Minister’s Office in Tokyo early on Thursday after a phone call with U.S. President Joe Biden. (The Yomiuri Shimbun)

By The Japan News/ANN

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and U.S. President Joe Biden spoke over the phone early Thursday, Japan time, and agreed to strengthen the Japan-U.S. alliance. The phone call, lasting about 30 minutes, was the first direct conversation between the two leaders since Biden took office.

With China’s increasingly hegemonic moves in mind, Suga and Biden agreed to promote the vision of a “free and open Indo-Pacific.” They also confirmed that the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture are covered by Article 5 of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty, which stipulates U.S. defense obligations to Japan.

After the phone meeting, Suga said to reporters, “I would like to deepen my personal relationship with Mr. Biden and work firmly to strengthen the Japan-U.S. alliance. It was a very good meeting.” The prime minister hopes to visit the United States at an early date to hold a face-to-face meeting with Biden.

During the phone call, the two leaders agreed on the importance of the United States increasing its presence in the Indo-Pacific region, and Biden referred to the “free and open Indo-Pacific” vision advocated by Japan. They also confirmed the importance of working together as part of the Quad — Japan, the United States, Australia and India — to address various regional issues.

Biden had also brought up the inclusion of the Senkaku Islands in the treaty obligations during an earlier phone conversation with Suga last November, after the presidential election. This time again, Biden clearly stated his commitment to applying the security treaty to the Senkaku Islands. He also referred to providing “extended deterrence,” meaning the United States will retaliate in the event of an armed attack on allied nations.

Suga welcomed Biden’s decision to return to the Paris Agreement, an international framework to combat global warming, and to retract the U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization.

The two leaders agreed to work closely to combat the novel coronavirus, saying it was a challenge shared by the entire world. They will also aim to ensure the smooth supply of vaccines from the United States to Japan.

Biden expressed his intention to hold a summit on climate change on April 22, and Suga said he would consider participating. The summit is expected to be held online.

On the issue of North Korea, they confirmed they would cooperate toward denuclearization. Suga requested cooperation in resolving the issue of abductions of Japanese nationals, and Biden indicated his intention to respond. The Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics were not discussed in the phone call.

According to Japanese government officials, Suga was the first among Asian leaders to hold talks with Biden since his inauguration.

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Chinese envoy urges US to avoid strategic misjudgment on China

Jan 29. 2021Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai speaks at a dialogue in Grand Rapids, the United States, on Feb 8, 2019. (WANG PING / XINHUA)

By China Daily/ANN

WASHINGTON – It would be a “huge strategic misjudgment” for the United States to take China as “a strategic rival and imaginary enemy,” said Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai on Wednesday.

“China and the United States need mutual trust, not misjudgment,” said Cui in his speech at the “China-US Engagement: Past Achievements & Future Adjustments” Online Dialogue, organized by the Chinese People’s Association for Peace and Disarmament and the Carter Center on Wednesday evening.

“Taking China as a strategic rival and imaginary enemy would be a huge strategic misjudgment. To develop any policy on the basis of that would only lead to grave strategic mistakes,” he said.

“It is our firm belief that China and the United States can benefit from the prosperity and development of the other side. We may have competition, but we don’t have to be rivals,” he said. “Instead, we should strive to be partners.”

He said that America would have to ask itself whether it can accept the development and prosperity of another nation, whose history, culture and political system are different, and live peacefully with it.

Throughout its 100-year history, the Communist Party of China has always upheld its mission to pursue happiness for the people and rejuvenation for the nation, said the ambassador.

“Everything we do is to meet the people’s aspiration for a better life, not to challenge or displace any country,” said Cui, adding “we always believe in harmony in diversity between countries and in a community with a shared future for mankind.” 

Consequential choice 

Cui said the United States and China are facing “a consequential choice again” of getting the bilateral ties back onto the right track at a historical juncture on the occasion of the 42nd anniversary of Mr Deng Xiaoping’s visit to the United States. 

Forty-two years ago, Deng and then US President Jimmy Carter made the historic decision to establish diplomatic relations between China and the United States, and the two countries “were able to break the ice of the Cold War and rise above ideological differences,” he said.

“Since then, our ever-deepening cooperation has delivered huge benefits to the two peoples, and contributed enormously to world peace, stability and prosperity. Facts have proved that we have made the right choice and stood on the right side of history,” he said.

However, in the past few years, some people in the United States tried to “deny these basic facts,” said the ambassador.

“By creating rumors, stoking hatred and fanning confrontation, they attempted to hijack America’s China policy and push China-US relations down the precipice of confrontation. This has seriously damaged the fundamental interests of the two peoples and is doomed to failure,” Cui said.

There have also been calls recently “for America to adjust its strategy and build an allied and partner coalition, so as to address China’s challenge and restore balance and legitimacy in the Asia-Pacific,” he said.

“Such an adjustment is just like putting old wine in a new bottle. It may cause the same mistakes made in the past and create new imbalances, which will further disrupt regional order,” he said.

“As we speak, COVID-19 continues to put human society to the test, and the China-US relationship has come to a new crossroads,” he said. “With the upcoming Year of the Ox bringing in confidence and hope, this dialogue is highly relevant and carries special significance.”

“At this historical juncture, we are facing a consequential choice again. I agree with President Carter that China and the United States must remain closely connected, and restore trust, respect and normalcy between them,” he said.

“While China wishes America full success in building unity, in healing and in restoration, it is also hoped that integrity, candor, respect and vision will return to its China policy,” he said. 

Dialogue, not confrontation

The only way for China and the United States to get out of their differences and disagreements is “candid and equal-footed dialogue on the basis of mutual respect,” said the Chinese ambassador. 

 “Our two countries have not a small number of differences and disagreements. The only way out of them is candid and equal-footed dialogue on the basis of mutual respect,” he said.

“At the same time, some issues have been raised in China-US relations under the banner of ‘values’, but in fact they all focus on China’s territory, so much so that people cannot but question the real intention behind,” he said.

“On issues that concern its sovereignty, reunification and territorial integrity, China will not back down, and it is hoped that the US side will respect China’s core interests and refrain from crossing the red line,” he said. 

Shared common interests

On Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said at a daily press briefing that China and the United States share broad common interests and cooperation space in coping with climate change.

Zhao made the remarks when commenting on media reports that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US climate envoy John Kerry have both expressed willingness to cooperate with China on climate change.

John Kerry, also a former US Secretary of State, said that although the US has serious differences with China, no issues between the two nations would be traded for climate-related cooperation.

Zhao said that climate change is a common challenge facing mankind and bears on its future and the future of the world, and no country can solve it alone, as tackling it requires global action, global response and global cooperation.

Noting that China and the United States have carried out fruitful cooperation in response to climate change, Zhao said the two countries share broad common interests and cooperation space in coping with climate change.

“China and the United States have played a positive and constructive role in promoting the signing and entry into force of the Paris Agreement. China is willing to work with the United States and the international community to address climate change,” Zhao said.

He also emphasized that China-US cooperation in specific areas is not “a flower in a greenhouse” and must be closely related to the overall bilateral relationship.

Zhao said that no party should expect to wantonly interfere in China’s internal affairs and violate China’s interests, on one hand, while on the other hand expecting China to offer its understanding and support on bilateral and global affairs.

“We hope the US side can create favorable conditions for China-US coordination and cooperation in important fields,” he said. 

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TikTok to shutdown India biz, cut jobs in India after ban extends

Jan 28. 2021

By The Statesman/ANN

Short-video sharing platform TikTok on Wednesday said it would scale down the size of its workforce constituting over 2,000 employees in the country.

The development came seven months after facing a ban in India-Chinese social media firm Bytedance, which owns Tiktok and Helo apps, following continued restrictions on its services in the country.

TikTok’s global interim head Vanessa Pappas and vice president for global business solutions Blake Chandlee in a joint email to employees have communicated the decision of the company that it is reducing team size and the decision will impact all employees in India.

The executives expressed uncertainty on the company’s comeback to India but expressed hope to do so in times to come.

“We have worked steadfastly to comply with the Government of India order issued on June 29, 2020. We continually strive to make our apps comply with local laws and regulations and do our best to address any concerns they have,” a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement.

“It is therefore disappointing that in the ensuing seven months, despite our efforts we have not been given a clear direction on how and when our apps could be reinstated,” the spokesperson said.

The Indian government initially banned nearly 59 Chinese apps including TikTok, WeChat and UC Browser and Xiaomi’s Mi Community over national security concerns as India-China bilateral relations remain strained after the death of 20 Indian soldiers in the Galwan Valley clash with Chinese PLA troops in eastern Ladakh.

“It is deeply regretful that after supporting our 2000+ employees in India for more than half a year, we have no choice but to scale back the size of our workforce,” the TikTok spokesperson said.

Owned by Chinese unicorn ByteDance, TikTok said it looks “forward to receiving the opportunity to relaunch TikTok and support the hundreds of millions of users, artists, story-tellers, educators and performers in India.”

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S. Korea to build new resource exploration ship by 2024

Jan 28. 2021Shown in this photo provided by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on Thursday, is an image of the Tamhae 3, a resource exploration vessel that will be ready for operation in 2024. (Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy)

By The Korea Herald/ANN

South Korea said Thursday it has launched a project to build a new ship equipped with the latest devices to explore deep-sea resources.

Under the project, the country will spend 190 billion won ($172 million) to build the 6,000-ton vessel, named the Tamhae 3, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The project first kicked off in 2018.

The envisioned ship, which is to be constructed by Hanjin Heavy Industries Co. in cooperation with the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources, will be ready to set sail in 2024.

It will replace the existing 2,084-ton research vessel, the Tamhae 2, which was built in 1996.

The ministry said the new ship will be capable of carrying out research projects in polar regions as well.

The envisioned exploration vessel will be armed with state-of-the-art gas and oil exploration equipment using 3-D and 4-D technology. (Yonhap)

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Myanmar starts Covid-19 vaccination for healthcare staff

Jan 28. 2021Photo: Kyi Naing

By EI THINZAR KYAW
Eleven Media/ANN

Health staffers across Myanmar have started receiving Covid-19 vaccinations at hospitals and treatment centers under the ministry of health and sports.

The ministry will be vaccinating priority groups against Covid-19 with the first priority to start inoculating over 110,000 health workers across the country on January 27. 

The first priority group also includes volunteers working for Covid-19 prevention and treatment, members of union and regional governments and parliamentary representatives. 

The vaccine being administered to the health staff is Covidshield produced by Serum Institute of India. It is kind of ChAdOx 1 nCoV-19 Corona Virus Vaccine (Recombinant) that can be stored under the temperature of 2’C to 8’C. So it is most suitable for Myanmar’s cold storage system. But, only those aged above 18 can be vaccinated.

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Virus: Nearly 23 million vaccine doses administered in China

Jan 28. 2021A man receives the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination site in Chaoyang district of Beijing, capital of China, Jan 26, 2021. (JIA HAOCHENG / XINHUA)

By China Daily

BEIJING/CHANGCHUN – A total of 22.77 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in China by Tuesday, the National Health Commission said Wednesday.

Zeng Yixin, deputy head of the commission, made the remarks at a press conference held by the State Council joint prevention and control mechanism against COVID-19.

Health authorities are strengthening the management of vaccinations and using an information system on vaccination planning to trace every dose, according to Zeng.

Medical workers at vaccination sites were also asked to closely monitor and report all possible adverse reactions in accordance with due procedures.

Meanwhile, China’s daily testing capacity for COVID-19 has surpassed 15 million samples, Zeng said.

“Our testing capacity is even stronger when we conduct pool testing, for example, five or 10 samples in one batch,” said Zeng.

China is facing rising demand for virus testing as more people are traveling home for the Spring Festival, said Zeng, urging local authorities to improve their testing capacity and explore ways to lower the testing cost and increase the convenience for people being tested. 

The country has seen a notable rise in imported cases with the daily average number in January nearly double that of November last year, posing a challenge to efforts to contain the virus, Zeng said.

As the Spring Festival approaches, an important occasion for family reunions and gatherings, the risks of the virus spreading are mounting in the country, he noted. 

On pandemic response in rural areas, Zeng stressed the training of medical forces at the grassroots levels, especially rural doctors, to help them identify suspected symptoms.  

A medical worker collects a swab sample from a resident at a COVID-19 testing site in Wangkui county of Suihua city, northeast China’s Heilongjiang province, on Jan 26, 2021, amid the fifth round of mass testing in the county. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

55 new local cases on mainland

The Chinese mainland on Tuesday reported 75 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 55 locally transmitted and 20 arriving from outside the mainland, the commission announced earlier Wednesday.

Of the new local cases, 29 were reported in Heilongjiang, 14 in Jilin, seven in Hebei, four in Beijing and one in Shanghai, the commission said in its daily report.

One suspected case was newly reported in Shaanxi, bringing the total number of suspected cases to two, said the commission. 

No deaths related to the disease were reported.

By the end of Tuesday, the mainland had reported 4,644 imported COVID-19 cases with no deaths. 

Overall, the mainland has reported 89,272 confirmed cases, along with 4,636 deaths and 82,774 recoveries by Tuesday, according to the commission.

There were 1,862 patients still receiving treatment, of whom 111 were in severe conditions.

Tuesday also saw 61 newly reported asymptomatic cases, of which 14 were imported, while three asymptomatic cases were re-categorized as confirmed cases.

By the end of Tuesday, 10,222 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 173 deaths, had been reported in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), 47 cases in the Macao SAR, and 890 cases, including seven deaths, in Taiwan.

A total of 9,101 COVID-19 patients in the Hong Kong SAR had been discharged from hospitals following recovery, 46 in the Macao SAR, and 797 in Taiwan.  

Tonghua completes 3rd citywide testing drive

The city of Tonghua in northeast China, where a cluster of COVID-19 cases has appeared, has finished its third citywide nucleic acid testing campaign, during which 10 asymptomatic infections were found, according to local authorities at a press briefing on Wednesday.

A total of 361,927 people were tested and results for 252,879 people have returned, said Jiang Haiyan, vice-mayor of Tonghua in Jilin province.

Jiang said that a total of 2,750 close contacts and 3,779 secondary close contacts have been located and placed under centralized isolation.

By Tuesday, the city had reported 279 locally transmitted confirmed cases and 74 asymptomatic infections.

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NK paper calls for heightened alert against pandemic as global cases exceed 100m

Jan 27. 2021A health worker sanitizing Pyongyang Station in the capital to prevent the outbreak of the coronavirus. (KCNA-Yonhap)

By The Korea Herald/ANN

North Korea’s official newspaper on Wednesday urged the people to keep their guard up against the coronavirus pandemic as the number of global COVID-19 cases has exceeded 100 million.

“The cases of the new coronavirus have now exceeded 100 million with the death toll rising well over 2.14 million,” said the Rodong Sinmun, the organ of the North’s ruling party. “We need to keep alert and ramp up emergency antivirus efforts more than ever.”

The paper called on the people to carry out the ongoing antivirus work as if it were a war, saying they should not let down their guard and must stay resolute to ward off an outbreak that could occur at any moment.

It also cautioned against falling into complacency amid a prolonged fight against the pandemic and urged strict observance of antivirus rules, such as wearing masks, sanitizing hands and keeping social distancing.

North Korea has claimed to be coronavirus-free, but it has maintained a high level of alert and enforced tough social distancing, border controls and other restrictions on movement.

In early December, state media said Pyongyang has been placed on the highest level of alert against the coronavirus, suspending the operation of public facilities and restricting the movement of people in the capital. (Yonhap)

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India’s 2020 GDP estimated to contract by at 9.6%, may grow at 7.3% in 2021: UN

Jan 27. 2021

By The Statesman/ANN

India’s economy is estimated to have contracted by 9.6 per cent in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, while it is projected to grow at 7.3 per cent, a report said on Tuesday.

The report, titled ‘World Economic Situation and Prospects 2021,’ noted that the COVID-19 crisis has wreaked havoc on labour markets in both developed and developing world. In the developing world, the report said that by mid-2020, unemployment rates had escalated to a record high 23 per cent in India.

It said that commercial air travel, tourism, catering, leisure, personal care and retail industries, manufacturing, trade and transportation, which typically employ large numbers of low-skilled workers, faced the largest job losses.

Many of the jobs in these sectors cannot be performed remotely, making them vulnerable to lockdown and quarantine measures.

“The pandemic has also adversely affected female labour force participation in labour-intensive sectors, as more than 50 per cent of workers in those sectors are women, and they are often the entry point into work for women, youth, migrant workers and the rural population,” said the report.

In the report, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) forecasted that in 2021, the Indian economy is projected to grow at 7.3 per cent.

In 2022, the growth rate, however, is likely to slow down to 5.9 per cent from this year’s projected level.

Last month, the National Statistical Office (NSO) said that the Indian economy is estimated to contract 7.7 per cent in 2020-21 compared to 4.2 per cent growth in the previous fiscal, mainly on account of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Real GDP or GDP at Constant Prices (2011-12) in the year 2020-21 is likely to attain a level of Rs 134.40 lakh crore, as against the Provisional Estimate of GDP for the year 2019-20 of Rs 145.66 lakh crore… The growth in real GDP during 2020-21 is estimated at -7.7 per cent as compared to the growth rate of 4.2 per cent in 2019-20,” it had said.

However, the projection was for FY2020-21, where as UN’s report forecast is for the Calendar year January 2020-December 2020.

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Covax scheme aims to deliver up to 150m Covid-19 vaccine doses in first quarter: WEF panel

Jan 27. 2021

By Linette Lai
The Straits Times/ANN

SINGAPORE – Some 145 to 150 million doses of coronavirus vaccines could be delivered in the first quarter of this year to countries in the Covid-19 Vaccine Global Access (Covax) scheme – the first milestone in the initiative’s plan to secure nearly two billion doses by the end of the year.

Covax is also in a position to buy spare doses from high-income countries, many of which have taken “multiple shots on goal” and purchased in excess of their needs, said Dr Seth Berkley, who heads the Gavi vaccine alliance.

“Obviously right now, there’s a little bit of a global vaccine panic, and so many countries want doses,” he told a virtual discussion organised by the World Economic Forum (WEF) Davos Agenda on Tuesday (Jan 26).

“And today, we’re doing the best we can to move this forward.”

Covax, which aims to distribute vaccines equitably around the world, is jointly led by Gavi, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and the World Health Organisation.

It aims to roll out around 500 million doses in the second quarter of this year, and another 1.5 billion over the remainder of the year, Dr Berkley said.

He added that the organisation is waiting for regulatory approval for certain vaccines, following which it will distribute them as broadly as possible.

Although it hopes that high-income countries will donate their extra vaccine doses, Covax is in a position “to buy them or to take a spot in a manufacturing queue, to make them available equitably”.

“What’s important is that those vaccines have a full shelf life, have the ability to be used in different parts of the world (and) have been going directly from the manufacturers so that they’ve been handled properly and the cold chain is maintained,” Dr Berkley said.

He estimated that high-income countries have, at present, secured more than 800 million doses in excess of their actual requirements, with another 1.4 billion doses in options.

During the session on the logistics of rolling out a Covid-19 vaccine across the world, participants pointed out potential bottlenecks in delivery.

For instance, vaccine doses are not the only thing that has to be rolled out, said Ms Dorothea von Boxberg, Lufthansa Cargo’s chief commercial officer. “You also have to give the doctor additional material like syringes, so it is a big, big logistical effort to get everything in place and also keep the cold chain… for the vaccines.”

On the bright side, logistics company Deutsche Post DHL Group said flights to distribute the vaccine can be easily ramped up once more doses are available.

“The whole industry can manage much more than what is currently needed,” said Dr Frank Appel, its chief executive. “On our own, we are operating 250 flights a night. We can do significantly more.”

The challenge is for local governments to work out last-mile vaccine distribution logistics, he added. For instance, if the plan is for doctors to administer the vaccine from roving trucks, then fewer refrigerators are needed. “All these questions need to be answered by the local governments.”

Another thing to look forward to is that the next generation of vaccines, which are likely to have less stringent storage and transportation requirements, are one step closer to hitting the market, Dr Berkley said.

The currently-available Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines were “quite expensive, produced in relatively small quantities to start with, and had some issues in terms of their cold chains”. This made it more difficult for them to be distributed globally.

Now, there are “a whole range of new manufacturers”, Dr Berkley added – with two major ones expected to move to the next stage in their clinical trials over the next week or two.