The entire population of the Chinese city of Wuhan, where COVID-19 first emerged, will be tested for the virus.
Chinese authorities are racing to curb a widespread outbreak, that is being fuelled by the highly transmissible Delta variant.
Fresh travel restrictions have been imposed as authorities battle to contain the outbreak, which has spread to around half of China’s 32 provinces.
This includes the Hubei Province, home to the city of Wuhan, where the first cases of COVID-19 were identified.
More than 400 local cases have been reported in China since mid-July, including 7 new cases in Wuhan on Monday.
State-run media outlet The Global Times reports that the outbreak is “posing great challenges to the country as it deals with the worst epidemic in months”.
The outbreak was triggered by cleaners at Nanjing Lukou International Airport. Xinhua News reports that the cleaners did not follow strict hygiene measures.
More than 1.6 billion vaccine doses have been administered in China, but the exact number of fully vaccinated people is not clear.
Entire population of Wuhan to be tested
The new cases are the city’s first local infections since June 2020, prompting a testing blitz.
The city, home to 11 million people, is “swiftly launching comprehensive nucleic acid testing of all residents”, according to senior Wuhan official Li Tao.
The first reported COVID-19 cases were in Wuhan in November 2019. The outbreak was quashed through a strict lockdown that lasted 76 days.
But the exact origin of the virus remains unclear.
The World Health Organisation has proposed a second phase of its investigation into the origins of COVID-19.
But Beijing has rejected the WHO’s proposal for a more rigorous probe.
Beijing’s latest show of force sends a stern warning to Taiwan, as the US urges restraint amid escalating tensions.
China deployed planes and ships to encircle Taiwan on Monday in military drills that Beijing described as a “stern warning” to what it called “separatist” forces on the island.
The exercises, dubbed Joint Sword-2024B, mark China’s fourth large-scale war game targeting Taiwan in the past two years.
Beijing, which has not ruled out using force to bring Taiwan under its control, conducted these drills in the north, south, and east of Taiwan, focusing on sea-air combat readiness and blockading key ports.
Practicing an assault
The Chinese military’s Eastern Theater Command said the drills also included practicing an assault on maritime and ground targets, with China’s coast guard conducting “inspections” around the island.
Taiwan condemned the exercises as “irrational and provocative,” deploying its own forces in response. The Taiwanese defence ministry stated it is fully prepared to counter any threat to its sovereignty.
The United States criticised China’s actions as “unwarranted” and warned of the risk of escalation, calling on Beijing to act with restraint. Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te, who has taken a firmer stance on Taiwan’s sovereignty than his predecessor, convened a high-level security meeting to address the drills, describing them as inconsistent with international law.
Tensions between China and Taiwan continue to rise, with China ramping up its military activity around the island in recent years.
Experts discuss the EU’s challenges and opportunities ahead
Euro Bloch is a comprehensive program designed to highlight the breadth of topics and issues within the EU political landscape. It offers insightful analysis within the evolving framework of relations between the European Union and Australia/Asia-Pacific region.
In this episode, Natanael interviews Professor Bruno Mascitelli about the future of the European Union following the June elections. With Ursula von der Leyen re-elected as President of the European Commission, Mascitelli discusses the challenges she may face in her second term and the growing influence of far-right and populist parties in the EU Parliament.
As Hungary takes over the Presidency of the Council of the EU, concerns about its impact arise. The episode also considers the EU’s potential diplomatic role amid escalating tensions in the Middle East and identifies crucial policy areas where the EU must strengthen its stance to compete globally.