China

"We see an earlier and stronger growth recovery from 1Q23 amid faster reopening, stronger housing support and tech regulatory easing, lifting 2023 GDP to 5.7 per cent and 12m USDCNY to 6.65. China is set to top global equity market performance in 2023, in our view, with structural improvement on ERP and ROE. .

The protest started on Saturday after a sudden announcement of layoffs and disputes over wages in the south-western city of Chongqing, the BBC reported. Some videos were filmed at Zybio, a company specialising in in-vitro diagnostic reagents and equipment.

A team comprising 26 official delegates headed by Auramon Supthaweethum, Director General of the Department of Trade Negotiations, Thailand is to start negotiations on Monday and Tuesday with Sri Lanka aiming to strike a balance on trade which is not in favour of the crisis-hit South Asian island nation right now.

Officials have warned of a fresh surge in coronavirus cases brought to rural areas by city residents traveling back home to welcome in the Year of the Rabbit, state broadcaster CGTN reported. "We are extremely worried about the potential COVID-19 surge in rural areas

According to South China Morning Post, Beijing's embassy in Washington, DC, countered allegations after several countries, including the World Health Organisation (WHO), criticised China for withholding actual Covid figures, requesting the country to come clean on the infection surge and hospitalisations. "China has always shared its information and data responsibly with the international community," Liu Pengyu, spokesman for Beijing's Washington embassy, said in a news briefing. Chinese scientists are "now working with WHO to have further discussions about the data," he said,

Wednesday's recommendation on negative tests came from the EU's Integrated Political Crisis Response group (IPCR), a body made up of officials from the bloc's 27 governments, reports the BBC. France, Spain and Italy have already introduced testing, but others, such as Germany, had been monitoring the situation. England, outside the EU, requires pre-flight testing on China arrivals from Thursday. Despite the recommendation, it remains unclear if an EU-wide policy will be introduced. Individual states however, can set their own policy.

In a report on the interview published by state-run China Daily, Senior Capt. Qian Shumin did not give an exact date for when the aircraft carrier will undergo its first sea excursions, saying only that "the trials will contribute to the realization of the centenary goals of the People's Liberation Army", CNN reported.

France, Italy and Spain already require pre-departure tests on travellers from China and have been urging other EU member states to follow suit. EU officials meeting later on Wednesday in the "integrated political crisis response" format are expected to issue a recommendation of mandatory testing, despite warnings from Beijing of retaliation, The Guardian reported.

"Epidemic prevention and control is entering a new phase. Everyone is working resolutely, and the light of hope is right in front of us," Jinping said in a TV address late on Saturday. Last week, the Chinese President had called for strict measures to "effectively protect people's lives". His fresh remarks came as the World Health Organisation (WHO) chief lamented the absence of comprehensive Covid information from China.

Social media comments in China took issue with recent death figures, which admitted to just one death on December 26, as many people know family and friends who have died and are having trouble booking cremations, RFA reported. "Ask your conscience - do you believe this?" one comment read, while another quipped: "Is this the department of disease control or the ministry of magic?"