China

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong will ban CBD starting Wednesday, categorizing it as a “dangerous drug” and mandating harsh penalties for its smuggling, production and possession, customs authorities announced Friday.

Supporters say CBD can treat a range of ailments including anxiety and that, unlike its more famous cousin THC — which is already illegal in Hong Kong — CBD doesn’t get users high. Cannabidiol, derived from the cannabis plant, was previously legal in Hong Kong, where bars and shops sold products containing it.

BEIJING, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- As the Chinese New Year of the Rabbit arrives, many foreign leaders have sent their Chinese New Year greetings to the country, the Chinese people and overseas Chinese, and expressed their hope for stronger cooperation with China towards a better future.

"My dear brothers and sisters from China and all Chinese communities around the world: I wish you all a happy Lunar New Year and a prosperous Spring Festival 2023," South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a statement released by the Presidency.

BEIJING, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- Japan's visa service in China has resumed normal operations, according to the website of the Japanese Embassy in China.

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the visa service at the Japanese Embassy in China was temporarily reduced for a period of time. It has now returned to normal in line with changes in the pandemic situation, according to a release posted on the website Friday.

BEIJING (AP) — People across China rang in the Lunar New Year on Sunday with large family gatherings and crowds visiting temples after the government lifted its strict “zero-COVID” policy, marking the biggest festive celebration since the pandemic began three years ago.

The Lunar New Year is the most important annual holiday in China. Each year is named after one of the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac in a repeating cycle, with this year being the Year of the Rabbit. For the past three years, celebrations were muted in the shadow of the pandemic.

BEIJING, Jan 21 (Reuters) - The possibility of a big COVID-19 rebound in China over the next two or three months is remote as 80% of people have been infected, a prominent government scientist said on Saturday.

The mass movement of people during the ongoing Lunar New Year holiday period may spread the pandemic, boosting infections in some areas, but a second COVID wave is unlikely in the near term, Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist at the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said on the Weibo social media platform.

BEIJING, Jan.19 (APP): A book titled “Pakistan in the Eyes of Geologists”, a scientific monograph led by China-SCO Geo-sciences Cooperation Research Center was published recently by Geology Press.

The book is divided into six parts, which took three years to complete in collaboration with eight institutions from both China and Pakistan, including China-Pakistan Joint Research Centre on Earth Sciences.

BEIJING, Jan 19 (NNN-ACN) –The Chinese government made official a donation to Cuba of 700 million yuan—some 100 million dollars—for projects of social impact linked to priority sectors of the economy in the island.

Carlos Pereira, Cuban ambassador to the People’s Republic, and Tang Wenhong, vice-president of the China International Development Cooperation Agency, signed the agreement to deliver the donation.

BEIJING (AP) — For seven decades, China’s Communist Party has ruled the world’s most populous country. As the nation’s population crests and begins to shrink, experts say, it will face challenges ranging from supporting the elderly to filling the ranks of its military.

Population growth has been slowing for years, but the announcement Tuesday that the country’s population fell by about 850,000 in 2022 came sooner than earlier projections.

BEIJING, Jan 17 (APP): China said on Tuesday that sanctioning of a Pakistani individual by the UN Security Council sanction committee was a recognition of Pakistan’s staunch fight against terrorism.

BEIJING, Jan 17 (Reuters) - During a busy shift at the height of Beijing's COVID wave, a physician at a private hospital saw a printed notice in the emergency department: doctors should “try not to” write COVID-induced respiratory failure on death certificates.

Instead, if the deceased had an underlying disease, that should be named as the main cause of death, according to the notice, a copy of which was seen by Reuters.