BEIJING: China will drop a travel tracing requirement as part of an uncertain exit from its strict “zero-COVID” policies that have elicited widespread dissatisfaction.
At midnight on Monday, the smart phone app will cease to function, meaning residents’ travels will not be traced and recorded, potentially reducing the likelihood they will be forced into quarantine for visiting pandemic hot spots. China’s ruling Communist Party allows no independent parties to conduct verification and such apps have been used in past to suppress travel and free speech. It’s part of a package of apps that includes the health code, which has yet to be disabled.
The move follows the government’s snap announcement last week that it was ending many of the most draconian measures. That follows three years of lockdowns, travel restrictions and quarantines on those moving between provinces and cities, mandated testing, and requirements that a clean bill of health be shown to access public areas.
Last month in Beijing and several other cities, protests over the restrictions grew into calls for leader Xi Jinping and the ruling Communist Party step down, in a level of public political expression not seen in decades.
While met with relief, the relaxation has also sparked concerns about a new wave of infections potentially overwhelming health care resources in some areas.
Xi’s government is still officially committed to stopping virus transmission, the last major country to try. But the latest moves suggest the party will tolerate more cases without quarantines or shutting down travel or businesses as it winds down its “zero-COVID” strategy.
Facing a surge in COVID-19 cases, China is setting up more intensive care facilities and trying to strengthen hospitals’ ability to deal with severe cases.
At the same time, the government reversed course by allowing those with mild symptoms to recuperate at home rather than being sent to field hospitals that have become notorious for overcrowding and poor hygiene.
Reports on the Chinese Internet, which is tightly controlled by the government, sought to reassure a nervous public, stating that restrictions would continue to be dropped and travel, indoor dining and other economic activity would soon be returning to pre-pandemic conditions.
China’s leaders had long praised “zero-COVID” for keeping numbers of cases and deaths much lower than in other nations, but health officials are now saying the most prevalent omicron variety poses much less of a risk.
Amid a sharp drop in the amount of testing, China on Monday announced only around 8,500 new cases, bringing the nation’s total to 365,312 — more than double the level since Oct. 1 — with 5,235 deaths. That compares to 1.1 million COVID-19 deaths in the United States.
Protests erupted Nov. 25 after 10 people died in a fire in the northwestern city of Urumqi. Many believed COVID-19 restrictions may have impeded rescue efforts. Authorities denied the claims spread online, but demonstrators gave voice to longstanding frustration in cities such as Shanghai that have endured severe lockdowns.
The party responded with a massive show of force and an unknown number of people were arrested at the protests or in the days following.
Xi’s government promised to reduce the cost and disruption after the economy shrank by 2.6 percent from the previous quarter in the three months ending in June. Forecasters say the economy probably is shrinking in the current quarter. Imports tumbled 10.9 percent from a year ago in November in a sign of weak demand.
Some forecasters have cut their outlook for annual growth to below 3 percent, less than half of last year’s robust 8.1 percent expansion.
Amid the unpredictable messaging from Beijing, experts warn there still is a chance the ruling party might reverse course and reimpose restrictions if a large-scale outbreak ensues.
Last week’s announcement allowed considerable room for local governments to assign their own regulations. Most restaurants in Beijing, for example, still require a negative test result obtained over the previous 48 hours and rules are even stricter for government offices.
China to drop travel tracing as it relaxes ‘zero-COVID’
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China to drop travel tracing as it relaxes ‘zero-COVID’
- Smartphone app will cease to function, meaning residents’ travels will not be traced and recorded
- Relaxation has also sparked concerns about a new wave of infections
As defense ties strengthen, US assesses Cyprus base
- The assessment will take place at a military base in the western district of Paphos
- European Union member Cyprus has played a central role in evacuating civilians from the region
NICOSIA: A military assessment team from the United States will be in Cyprus this week as part of defense upgrades, Cypriot officials said on Tuesday, following an announcement from Washington of cooperation with the Mediterranean island.
The evaluation team, based in Germany, would provide know-how and recommendations on infrastructure projects to enhance interoperability with the United States and other partners, Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis said.
“The upgrading of infrastructure, the supply of modern means and the investment in training are key pillars of our national strategy for an effective and flexible defense,” Letymbiotis told a news briefing.
The assessment will take place at a military base in the western district of Paphos.
Strategically perched on the edge of the volatile Middle East, European Union member Cyprus has played a central role in evacuating civilians from the region during the many flare-ups in tensions.
Last year, it established a humanitarian aid corridor to Gaza, where a ceasefire deal came into effect on Sunday.
Relations between the US and Cyprus have grown closer in recent years and are closely followed by Turkiye, which invaded Cyprus’s northern third in 1974 after a brief Greek inspired coup. Both Türkiye and the breakaway Turkish Cypriot state it supports in north Cyprus have criticized cooperation.
Part of the assessment will look at the potential to upgrade landing facilities at the air base to allow for large-scale evacuation operations from the region if needed, a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.
The source asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Jakarta refutes reports of Trump’s plan to relocate Palestinians in Gaza to Indonesia
- NBC news report claims that relocating residents of Gaza is part of rebuilding efforts
- Any attempts to move Palestinians in Gaza is ‘entirely unacceptable,’ Jakarta says
JAKARTA: Jakarta was never involved in any discussion to relocate Palestinians from Gaza to Indonesia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday following reports that new US President Donald Trump’s team was considering the controversial move.
Before his inauguration on Monday, Trump and his transitional team had been discussing Israel’s war on Gaza and the recent ceasefire agreement, according to a report by NBC News.
Citing an anonymous source from Trump’s transition team, Indonesia was named as one of the locations considered for Palestinians to relocate to when rebuilding efforts began for the enclave.
However, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has refuted the report.
“The government of Indonesia has never received any information from anyone, nor any plans regarding the relocation of some of Gaza’s 2 million inhabitants to Indonesia as part of post-conflict reconstruction efforts,” Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Roy Soemirat said.
“Indonesia’s stance remains unequivocal: Any attempts to displace or remove Gaza’s residents is entirely unacceptable. Such efforts to depopulate Gaza would only serve to perpetuate the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory and align with broader strategies aimed at expelling Palestinians from Gaza.”
Indonesia is among the staunchest supporters of Palestine, with its government repeatedly calling for an end to Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and for a two-state solution based on pre-1967 borders.
Since the beginning of Israel’s deadly invasion of Gaza in October 2023, Jakarta has also been vocal on the international stage, demanding an end to military support and weapons sales to Tel Aviv.
As the first phase of a long-awaited ceasefire began on Sunday, Indonesia’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Arrmanatha Nasir said the UN Security Council “must safeguard the agreement” to ensure that every part of the three-phase agreement is upheld.
“The ceasefire is a vital first step towards attaining peace in the Middle East,” Nasir said during a UN Security Council open debate in New York on Monday.
After the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, Nasir said the international community must address the immediate humanitarian needs and work toward a “just and comprehensive political plan” with a two-state solution at its core.
“Any other alternative will only lead to apartheid and subjugation. That is why the international community must unite to foster genuine dialogue and negotiation that addresses the root cause of colonialism and historical injustices in Palestine including the right of return of the Palestinian refugees.”
After 15 months, the war on Gaza has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians and led the International Court of Justice to consider genocide claims against Israel.
However, a study published this month by medical journal The Lancet shows that the real death toll in Gaza during the first nine months — when the number stood at around 37,000 – of Israel’s deadly invasion was about 40 percent higher than recorded by the enclave’s Health Ministry.
‘No winners in a trade war’: Chinese vice premier tells Davos
- Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang told the World Economic Forum that a “tug of war” was underway between supporters and opponents of economic globalization
- The EU imposed hefty tariffs on electric cars made in China last year
DAVOS: A top Chinese official warned Tuesday that no country would emerge victorious from a trade war, in a speech to the Davos forum as Donald Trump returned to the White House.
Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang told the World Economic Forum that a “tug of war” was underway between supporters and opponents of economic globalization.
“Transformation not seen in a century is accelerating across the board with imminent tariff wars and trade wars,” Ding said.
“The global governance system is undergoing profound adjustments. Human society has once again come to a critical crossroads,” he added.
Trump, who began his second term on Monday, vowed during his election campaign to impose higher tariffs on China after launching a trade war with the country during his first stint at the White House.
“Protectionism leads nowhere, and there are no winners in a trade war,” Ding said, without mentioning Trump or the United States by name.
Trump warned Monday that he could impose tariffs if Beijing rejected his proposal to keep Chinese-owned app TikTok online in the United States by having half of it sold off.
China has also been locked in trade disputes with the European Union.
The EU imposed hefty tariffs on electric cars made in China last year. In turn, Beijing targeted European brandies and opened probes into EU subsidies of some dairy and pork products.
Without mentioning the EU or any country by name, Ding warned against “erecting green barriers that could disrupt normal economic and trade cooperation.”
He called for a “consistent approach” in addressing climate change and trade policies “so as to prevent economic and trade frictions from impeding the process of green transition.”
At Davos, EU vows pragmatism with Trump
- The EU’s first priority will be to engage early, discuss common interests, and be ready to negotiate with Trump
DAVOS: EU chief Ursula von der Leyen declared Tuesday that Europe was ready to negotiate with US President Donald Trump but the bloc will also seek to improve ties with China and other nations as global competition heats up.
Von der Leyen insisted that the United States remains an important partner, taking a conciliatory tone in a speech to the annual meeting of global elites in Davos, Switzerland.
The EU’s “first priority will be to engage early, discuss common interests, and be ready to negotiate” with Trump, she said.
“We will be pragmatic, but we will always stand by our principles. To protect our interests and uphold our values,” she said.
Trump returned to the White House on Monday, bringing with him fears he will deliver on promises to slap heavy tariffs on China and US allies including Canada and the European Union.
After his inauguration, Trump said he may impose 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico as early as February 1.
He also announced the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris climate accord, which the European Commission president defended as the “best hope for all humanity” and vowed “Europe will stay the course.”
China’s Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang — also a member of the Chinese Communist Party’s apex of power that rules the country — will speak immediately after von der Leyen.
The EU chief reiterated her commitment to free trade during her speech, pointing to recent deals with Switzerland, the Latin American bloc Mercosur and Mexico.
Von der Leyen also said she and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wanted to “upgrade” their partnership.
She stressed that Europe “must engage constructively with China — to find solutions in our mutual interest” despite escalating trade tensions between the two.
“2025 marks 50 years of our Union’s diplomatic relations with China. I see it as an opportunity to engage and deepen our relationship with China, and where possible, even to expand our trade and investment ties,” she said.
China is taking a cautious approach to Trump.
After Chinese President Xi Jinping’s conversation with Trump by phone on Friday, he said he hoped for a “good start” to relations with the new administration.
Although Trump said he would undertake sweeping trade penalties against China, he has also indicated he wants to improve ties — and even stepped in to reverse a US ban of Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok on national security grounds.
Ukraine is also keeping a very close eye on what Trump’s second mandate will involve.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to call on world leaders and company executives to maintain — and even ramp up — their support for his country’s fight against Russia.
Zelensky on Monday said he is hopeful Trump will help achieve a “just peace.”
Embattled German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will also address the forum, likely his last as leader ahead of elections next month.
Also speaking on Tuesday will be conservative leader Friedrich Merz, the favorite to succeed him as chancellor.
Europeans are fretting the most about Trump’s return while countries from Brazil to China and India to Turkiye believe he will be good for their countries and global peace, according to a survey last week from the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR).
The report accompanying the survey of over 28,500 people across 24 countries serves as a warning for European leaders to act cautiously.
“Europeans will struggle to find internal unity or global power in leading an outright resistance to the new administration,” the ECFR report’s authors said.
Middle East conflicts will also be high on the agenda as Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani speak in separate sessions during the first full day of the forum.
As a fragile ceasefire holds in the Israel-Hamas war, the WEF will host a discussion on how to improve aid delivery to the Palestinian territory of Gaza and how to kickstart the reconstruction and recovery after heavy bombardment.
Despite suggestions Trump’s return would overshadow the forum that began on the same day as his inauguration in Washington, WEF President Borge Brende said the president had brought fresh interest to the gathering.
“It has increased the interest in Davos because people feel they need to come together to better understand what’s on its way,” Brende told AFP in an interview.
Germany calls Trump’s vow to take Panama Canal ‘unacceptable’
- ‘Any threat against a NATO member or other states is of course completely unacceptable’
- ‘It’s not about how President Trump says something... but we should look at why he says something’
BERLIN: German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Tuesday criticized Donald Trump’s “unacceptable” pledge to seize the Panama Canal, which the returning US president repeated in his inaugural address.
Baerbock was asked in an interview about Trump’s comments Monday on the waterway and on his desire to control Greenland, an autonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark.
“Any threat against a NATO member or other states is of course completely unacceptable,” Baerbock told German broadcaster RBB.
Baerbock however said that Germany needed to “play it smart,” when responding to the president’s statements.
“It’s not about how President Trump says something... but we should look at why he says something,” Baerbock said.
The focus should be on “what interests are behind (Trump’s statements) ... and then standing up for our own interests,” she said.
In the case of the Panama Canal, the message was about China “investing massively in ports and other important infrastructure around the world,” Baerbock said.
In his inaugural address on Monday, Trump complained that China was effectively “operating” the key trading route, which the United States transferred to Panamanian control in 1999.
“We didn’t give it to China, we gave it to Panama. And we’re taking it back,” Trump said.
It was not the first time that Trump has expressed his intention to reestablish US control over the canal, with the president repeatedly refusing to rule out using military means.
Germany has no illusions about Trump as he begins his second term in office, Baerbock said.
“The USA is one of our most important allies. We want to and will continue to work closely together,” she said.
“But we have positioned ourselves more intensively and even more strongly strategically.”
