China

SHANGHAI, Nov 27 (Reuters) - The spike in respiratory illnesses that China is currently suffering is not as high as before the COVID-19 pandemic, a World Health Organisation official said, reiterating that no new or unusual pathogens had been found in the recent cases.

Maria Van Kerkhove, acting director of the WHO's department of epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention, said the increase appeared to be driven by a rise in the number of children contracting pathogens that they had avoided during two years of COVID restrictions.

SHANGHAI, Nov 25 (Reuters) - China's military will begin "combat training activities" from Saturday on its side of the border with Myanmar, it said on social media, a day after a convoy of trucks carrying goods into the neighbouring Southeast Asian nation went up in flames.

The incident, which Myanmar state media called an insurgent attack, came amid insecurity concerns in China, whose envoy met top officials in Myanmar's capital for talks on border stability after recent signs of rare strain in their ties.

BEIJING, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned his South Korean counterpart on Sunday not to politicise economic and tech issues as the two prepared to meet Japan's top diplomat on the sidelines of a trilateral meeting aimed at boosting cooperation.

"China and South Korea have become cooperation partners with highly integrated interests and highly interconnected production and supply chains," Wang told South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin, according to a Chinese foreign ministry readout.

BEIJING/SHANGHAI, Nov 26 (Reuters) - China and the United States exchanged accusations at the weekend over the disputed South China Sea, after China's military said it had driven away a U.S. warship that the U.S. Navy said was on a routine freedom of navigation operation.

According to a post on the official WeChat social media account of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Southern Theatre Command on Saturday, the Chinese military deployed its naval and air forces to "track, monitor and warn away" the U.S. destroyer.

BEIJING, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.2 jolted 84 km WNW of Ie, Japan at 09:39:48 GMT on Sunday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The epicenter, with a depth of 109.9 km, was initially determined to be at 26.88 degrees north latitude and 126.98 degrees east longitude.

BEIJING, November 24. /TASS/: China and the European Union have the ability to prevent a new cold war if they work together, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said.

"If China and Europe work together, there will be no opposing blocs, no split in the world, no new cold war," he said at a joint news conference with French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna.

SHANGHAI, Nov 24 (Reuters) - China called for vigilance on Friday as a surge of respiratory illness hit schools and hospitals and the World Health Organization, which has asked the government for disease data, said no unusual or novel pathogens had been detected.

China is grappling with a spike in respiratory illnesses as it enters its first full winter season since it lifted strict COVID-19 restrictions in December, with cases among children appearing especially high in northern areas like Beijing and Liaoning province where hospitals are warning of long waits.

BEIJING, Nov 24 (Reuters) - China will temporarily exempt citizens of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia from needing visas to visit the world's second-largest economy in a bid to give a boost to post-pandemic tourism.

From Dec. 1 to Nov. 30 next year, citizens of those countries entering China for business, tourism, visiting relatives and friends, or transiting for no more than 15 days, will not need a visa, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Friday.

BEIJING, Nov 22 (APP): China welcomed the temporary ceasefire reached by the parties to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said on Wednesday.
Addressing a regular briefing held here, she hopes it will help ease the plight of the humanitarian crisis, de-escalate the conflict and ease tensions.
As per media reports, the Israeli cabinet on Wednesday approved the proposed hostage release deal with Hamas, which will also see a temporary halt in fighting.

BEIJING, Nov 22 (APP): Pakistan set up a national pavilion and showcased the nation’s latest technologies and products at the 25th China International High-Tech Fair (CHTF) in Shenzhen, China.