The Latest Breaking News from Beijing

Hong Kong aims for mid-January reopening of border with mainland China

Hong Kong will reopen its borders with mainland China by mid-January, city Chief Executive John Lee said on Saturday, as Beijing accelerates the unwinding of stringent COVID-19 rules that have battered economic growth.

Reuters · Dec 24, 2022

Packed ICUs, crowded crematoriums: COVID roils Chinese towns

As China grapples with its first-ever national COVID wave, emergency wards in small cities and towns southwest of Beijing are overwhelmed

The Independent UK · Dec 24, 2022

Blinken raises China’s COVID ‘transparency’ with his Chinese counterpart

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told his Chinese counterpart that it was important for Beijing to be transparent about a growing COVID-19 outbreak, as questions mount about whether Chinese officials are trying to downplay the number of deaths.

Tribune News Service · Dec 24, 2022

China's stretched health system braces for peak in COVID infections

China is expecting a peak in COVID-19 infections within a week, a health official said, with authorities predicting extra strain on the country's health system even as they downplay the disease's severity and continue to report no new deaths.

Reuters · Dec 23, 2022

China lacked a 'zero COVID' exit plan. Its people are paying the price

At the public hospital in Shanghai where Nora, a 30-year-old doctor, works, tension has spiraled since China relaxed its stringent zero-COVID policy on Dec. 7.

Reuters · Dec 23, 2022

How China Botched the End of Zero-COVID

Other countries have successfully transitioned from strict lockdowns. Beijing has wasted the last three years.

Foreign Policy · Dec 22, 2022

China funds construction of new military hospital at Papua New Guinea's Taurama Barracks

Beijing is paying $13 million for the construction of a new hospital at Taurama Barracks in Port Moresby, prompting a warning from Australian analysts that the project could be a sign of more spending to come.

ABC News · Dec 22, 2022

Blinken cites need for all countries including China to share COVID information

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday emphasized the need for all countries, including China, to share information on their experiences with COVID-19, at a time when some experts have started raising questions about Beijing's official hospitalization and casualty figures.

Reuters · Dec 22, 2022

China hospital data absent from WHO's latest COVID reports, raising concern

The World Health Organization has received no data from China on new COVID-19 hospitalisations since Beijing lifted its zero-COVID policy, prompting some health experts to question whether it might be hiding information on the extent of its outbreak.

Reuters · Dec 22, 2022

China's Li praises Hong Kong leader for reviving economy

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has praised the Hong Kong government’s efforts in revitalizing the economy as it rolls back COVID-19 restrictions, in a meeting with the territory’s leader in Beijing

The Independent UK · Dec 22, 2022