ChinaDailyC.txt

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Industry leaders push for digital, shared approaches for recovery
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Rethinking current business models and embracing full digitalization for smart manufacturing, logistics, property development and even tourism as the way forward will be vital in a post-COVID recovery world, according to industry leaders and experts at an economic summit.

They were speakingat the 2020 World Chinese Economic Summit held on Dec 21 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, attended by a mix of participants online and offline. Throughout the day's events, panelists discussed China and the world's post-COVID new normal, enhancing connectivity and business cooperation in the Belt and Road Initiative, the digital Silk Road, startups and youth entrepreneurship, smart cities, properties and tourism development, women in business and leadership, as well as maximizing opportunities and collaboration in the Greater Bay Area and ASEAN.

Minister of Transport Wee Ka Siong, in his luncheon presentation, said Malaysia embraces partners from all across the region to reach not only ASEAN and beyond to all over the world.

Malaysia has benefited from the BRI and looks forward to closer collaboration in the new era, said Chairman of Port Klang Authority and Secretary-General of Malaysian Chinese Association Chong Sin Woon during a panel.

A session dubbed "The Digital Silk Road: New Opportunities From Digitalisation, Ai And Blockchain In The New Economy" tackled the possibilities for applying these new technologies to China's Digital Silk Road.

The Digital Silk Road, part of the China-led BRI, focuses on internet connectivity, artificial intelligence and the digital economy. Speakers urged everyone to develop digital infrastructure and in turn, capitalize on digital assets.

Michael Sung, founding co-director at Fudan Fanhai Fintech Research Center, said the blockchain framework will be the backbone of the future.

"Now I think the important catalyst driver beyond the COVID situation will be China. China is leading the world these days in blockchain," said Sung, who is also founder and chairman of fintech solutions provider CarbonBlue Innovations.

Over 500 blockchain projects have been registered with the Cyber Administration of China, including giant tech companies from Tencent to Huawei.

"The digitalization of value through the use of blockchain can check and trace whether it is real estate, gold, oil commodity and stocks. These assets are also being digitalized in the same way as data. This can bring a huge amount of liquidity in the market, which is very important for SMEs," said Sung.

Kelvin Cho, founder at Blockchain Business Alliance International and president of Yayasan Fintech Sedunia in Malaysia, said that businesses need to rethink their models and their products with the use of data.

"Data has become a power source for everything. We need a way to secure data," said Cho.

He also said we need a way to measure and keep track of who is contributing things. "We are moving from ownership to social sharing."

Chin Chee Seong, national vice-president at the SME Association of Malaysia, said in 2019, 98.5 percent of the businesses in Malaysia were small and medium-sized enterprises. This accounted for 66 percent of the country's employment and the gross domestic product from that alone was 37.1 percent. With the difficulties faced by the SMEs in the pandemic, the contribution will most likely contract to 1.5 percent less than the rest in the previous year.

As borders of many countries remain closed and international travel suspended, Chin, who is also national president of the Malaysia Cross Border Ecommerce Association or MCBEA, encouraged SMEs which basically are engaging in traditional trading practices to change and make full use of the infrastructure of digitization and emphasized digitization moving forward.

And digital businesses encompass every aspect of economic activity, including payments, online shopping, education and healthcare.

Besides what the Malaysian government can do for SMEs, Chin said they are also looking at what the Belt and Road Initiative and the Digital Silk Road can do for them.

Digitization is not something new, Goh Peng Ooi, founder and group executive chairman of global software firm Silverlake Group, said.

"Going forward, time is going to be characterized by paradoxes, disruptions, digital currencies, and cloud," said Ooi. "Business as usual is the worst route to take."

Lee Kim Yew, outgoing executive chairman of Country Heights Holdings Berhad, which is engaged in investment holding and the provision of management services, called on stimulus for young entrepreneurs to make use of technology.

Wei Chuan Beng, senior executive director at KSI Strategic Institute for Asia, Digital Entrepreneurs and Angel Investor at Digital Way Ventures Ltd, said the topic of the digital economy has to start with leadership.

"First, how prepared are we with digital talent? We must start somewhere," said Wei.

He is optimistic that investments in the digital economy like fiberoptics and power cables will pour in. "Digital government is in fact (becoming) eminent. The government must accelerate further adoption," he said.

"The '6P' of digitalization rests on promoting digital culture, piloting some digital adoption in some areas, proliferating end-to-end digital adoptions, protecting the digital infrastructure and data, prospering with the new breakthrough performance, and lastly, partnering with people with competency and create a kind of win-win together," Wei said.


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World Chinese Economic Summit projects post-pandemic recovery and sustainable development
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Global cooperation and renewed commitment to multilateralism are needed to restart the global economy while securing public health amid the pandemic, according to government and industry leaders attending an international forum.

Key speakers at the 2020 World Chinese Economic Summit (WCES) held Dec 21 also stressed China's key role in rebuilding the global economy, noting not only its success in combatting COVID-19 but also its commitment to help other developing economies.

"As a key proponent of the multilateral trading system, China has been a voice of reason and moderation throughout this crisis, calling for countries to ensure that emergency measures introduced to mitigate the risk associated with the pandemic did not disproportionally affect trade and investment flows," Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Mohd Yassin said in the opening keynote session.

Muhyiddin said Malaysia resonates strongly with China's vocal views that the COVID-19 outbreak should not be used as an excuse to enforce insularity and inward-looking policies. He added that Southeast Asia's third biggest economy will continue to believe in "free, fair and open" trade and investment.

He also called on the world to observe fundamental rules governing global trade and exchanges without impediments of protectionism and unilateralism.

It is of utmost importance that governments continue to remain true to fundamental philosophies and rules that govern international trade, which in turn provide certainty and predictability for businesses, he said.

Shaukat Aziz, former Prime Minister of Pakistan, said that no country can attain its "true economic potential" by looking inward.

He said the pandemic should serve as a wake-up call to reach out to others and not to use this event as an excuse to enforce protectionist and inward-looking policies.

Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew, WECS Founder and Patron, and Executive Chairman & Founder of Country Heights Holdings Berhad, said he hoped global collaboration will be implemented in earnest to overcome difficulties in building a better and shared future for all.

Organizing Chairman Tan Sri Michael Yeoh, also president of Ksi Strategic Institute for Asia Pacific, pointed out opportunities within the crisis such as digitization for sustainable development and enhanced connectivity.

Zhang Xiaoqiang, executive vice chairman and CEO of the Executive Office and legal representative of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, noted how the pandemic has affected public health and the global economy and how China and other countries are working together to overcome these challenges.

Zhang said China has shared its experiences in pandemic prevention and control with the rest of the world and sent teams of medical experts to some countries or regions to provide assistance. By early December, China has exported 230 billion pieces of masks.

"These actions have all reflected that China has assumed responsibilities as a large country. After completing R&D and clinical trials of vaccines and get them ready in use, the country will implement President Xi Jinping's commitment to provide vaccines to the world as publicly available products," he said.

ASEAN and China are highly complementary to each other, he noted, and the rapid growth of the new economic forms, rapid development of digital economy, cloud computing and artificial intelligence will drive the region. The internet of vehicles, industrial Internet, Intelligent transportation, and the construction of smart cities will greatly promote the development.

This year's summit theme is "Connecting Business, Promoting Shared Prosperity and Sustainability in the Post COVID New Economy". The hybrid event was held in Kuala Lumpur and organized by KSI Strategic Institute for Asia Pacific.

Political, economic leaders and experts from China, Malaysia, the United States, Australia and other parts of the world come to together to discuss about boosting economic recovery in the post-pandemic world, and embracing the new normal through enhancing connectivity and advancing technologies in digitalization, AI and blockchain in the new economy.

Throughout the day's events, panelists discussed China and the world in the age of disruption and the post-COVID new normal, enhancing connectivity and business cooperation in the Belt and Road, the digital Silk Road, startups and youth entrepreneurship, smart cities and tourism development, women in business and leadership, as well as maximizing opportunities and collaboration in the Greater Bay Area and ASEAN.

Keyu Jin, associate professor of economics at the London School of Economics, said China has a key role in resolving the challenges that most developing economies are facing such as the lack of proper financing, rising public debts and limited access to vaccines.

Jin was speaking at a panel discussion on China and the world in the age of disruption and the post COVID new normal. She cited the 2009 global financial crisis which showed "advanced economies do not have the infrastructure, the capacity nor the real intention to support developing countries in times of crisis".

"China has played a big role in the past partly because it's part of the emerging market class and therefore it has the responsibility to fill in that gap in terms of being the lender of last resort," Jin said.

Wang Huiyao, president at the Centre for China and Globalization and Counsellor to China's State Council, said that the global pandemic has also led to a "reboot of multilateralism", with countries all over the world understanding the need to work together against COVID-19.

Wang said the signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is one of the signs that China and the rest of thew world are moving towards multilateralism.

The RCEP, the world's largest free-trade agreement, was signed by 15 Asia-Pacific economies on Nov 15. The pact will progressively reduce tariff rates, eliminate trade barriers and bolster investments among the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

Wang said climate change is another challenge that countries can work together, noting that leaders of China and the United States are both committed to lowering carbon emissions.

Danny Alexander, vice President and corporate Secretary of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) said climate change is one of the key sectors that AIIB will focus on in the next few years.

He said the multilateral development bank also aims to invest in building connectivity and technology infrastructure and private capital mobilization. By prioritizing these sectors, Alexander said then it's possible for countries to address not only the current pandemic but also other future challenges.

Malaysian Minister of Transport Wee Ka Siong, in his luncheon presentation, said Malaysia embraces partners from all across the region to reach not only ASEAN and beyond to all over the world.

ASEAN joining hands with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area can drive not only the region's economic growth but also keep the world chains busy, according to an afternoon panel.

"With this close connection, ASEAN countries are in the best position draw momentum from China's new development pattern and seize the opportunities," said Wilfred Wong Ying-wai, president and executive director of Sands China Ltd and former chairman of Pacific Basin Economic Council (PBEC).

The combination of mainland's vast resources and market, and two administrative regions' international connections, as well as their respective centers of excellence "make it a worthwhile destination for ASEAN business expansions," Wong told the closing plenary session of 2020 World Chinese Economic Summit by video.

Also addressing the session on "The Greater Bay Area and ASEAN – Maximizing opportunities and collaboration" , Stephen Phillips, director-general of Invest Hong Kong, highlighted the advantages of HK for the region to explore, which include financial services and investment, innovation and technology, logistics and law, culture and education, tourism and medical care among others.

The areas all serve the two-way flow of capital, people and goods, Phillips said. Moreover, the integration of HK into GBA will strengthen and enrich HK's role as the global super-connector.

Vice Chairman and Executive Director of Wynn Macau Limited Linda Chen, also president and executive director of Wynn Resorts (Macau) S.A. says that GBS serves as a bridge into the whole of China for ASEAN companies, while Chinese companies continue to show a strong appetite to invest and collaborate with them across diverse areas.

She said she firmly believes that there's significant potential for greater engagement between ASEAN members and Macao as well as other cities in GBA, and that Macao's entertainment and tourism development will attract global visitors after the pandemic.

For the businesses and entrepreneurs in the GBA and ASEAN to work together, Ravindra Ngo, Founder & CEO of Invest in Cambodia, finds both the opportunities, such as economic partnerships, and challenges including the impact of trade tensions between China and the US, the influence of the COVID-19 and the poor digital infrastructure and internet access in ASEAN. He proposed the growth of digital technologies, the digital currencies and e-trade and catalysts for innovation and startups as three synergies for enhancing the ties.

Lena Ng, chief investment officer of AMATA Corporation PCL, Thailand has shared her recipe of success with those with ambitions in ASEAN. "You need to constantly change, and be very open to new environment and new concepts. You'll be empowered by a good understanding of what ASEAN is really like."

President of Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok Dr Eden Woon said the future of the region depends on further development and more interchanges of its youths including students. AIT itself has joined Chinese mainland businesses with exchange programs for students.

In the coming years HK should pay more and more attention to the Belt and Road countries and ASEAN instead of traditional focus on the Western economies, Woon said. And COVID-19 has provided a window of opportunities for higher education and human resources training, attracting more young talents to both regions.

Mah Hang Soon, Malaysia's Deputy Minister of Education II, concluded the Dec 21 summit by discussing how the pandemic became a "catalyst of change" for the private sector. He noted that disrupted operations and lockdown measures have pushed businesses to change the way they manage operations and human resources, mitigate risk and handle decision-making.

"Innovation does not necessarily mean using the latest technology, it can also be about innovating business models", he said.


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Tropical depression leaves 8 dead, 1 missing in Philippines
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MANILA - Floodwaters and landslides triggered by a tropical depression that battered many areas in the Philippines over the weekend have left at least eight people dead, two injured and one missing, authorities said on Monday.

According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) of the Philippines, the casualties were reported in Eastern Visayas region, Davao region and Caraga region.

The NDRRMC said the tropical depression affected over 36,000 residents in central and southern Philippines and caused 110.4 million pesos ($23 million) worth of damage to infrastructure.

The tropical depression has left the Philippines on Sunday, according to the state weather bureau.

The country's 22nd storm continues to blow away from the Philippines, packing maximum sustained winds of 65 km per hour with gusts of up to 80 km per hour, the state weather bureau said.

Typhoons and tropical storms regularly batter the Philippines from June through December, claiming lives and causing billions of dollars in damages.

Located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Philippines is among the most disaster-prone countries, including active volcanoes, frequent earthquakes, and an average of 20 typhoons a year, causing floods and landslides.

Government data showed the Philippines had lost 463 billion pesos ($9.65 billion) in damages to natural disasters from 2010 to 2019.


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S. Korea's capital area to ban gatherings of 5 or more people to contain COVID-19 spread
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SEOUL - The municipal governments of South Korea's capital area decided Monday to ban the gatherings of five or more people to contain the fast spread of COVID-19 in capital Seoul, its surrounding Gyeonggi province and the western port city of Incheon.

Under the new administrative orders in the Seoul metropolitan area, only gatherings and meetings of four or fewer people will be allowed both indoors and outdoors from Wednesday through Jan 3.

The single exception will be wedding and funeral services, in which 50 or fewer people can gather under the current Level 2.5 social-distancing guidelines.

The ban, coming ahead of the year-end peak season for gatherings and events, is tougher than the highest Level 3 social-distancing rules, in which the gatherings of 10 or more people are prohibited.

The government raised its five-tier social-distancing rules to the second-highest Level 2.5 for three weeks through Dec. 28 in the Seoul capital area amid the COVID-19 resurgence.

In the latest tally, South Korea reported 926 more cases of COVID-19 for the past 24 hours, raising the total number of infections to 50,591.

The daily caseload fell below 1,000 in six days, which was mainly attributable to fewer tests over the weekend. Out of the new cases, 70 percent were residents in the capital area.


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Australian state borders slam shut on Sydney as COVID-19 cluster grows
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SYDNEY - Australia's domestic borders have been slammed shut on residents in Sydney, as a COVID-19 outbreak in the city's north increased by 15 cases to 83 on Monday.

Concerns over how far the cluster has spread prompted differing responses by state leaders across the country.

The state of Western Australia re-implemented a hard border closure for the entire State of New South Wales (NSW) of which Sydney is the capital, turning back anyone from NSW without a legitimate exemption.

Victoria, Queensland closed their borders just to the Greater Sydney region, allowing residents of those states until the end of Monday to get back across the border before restrictions apply.

Meanwhile South Australia and Tasmania introduced softer restrictions requiring arrivals from the Greater Sydney region to quarantine for 14 days.

The area where the outbreak originated, Sydney's Northern Beaches, remained in lockdown until Wednesday while residents from the Greater Sydney area were asked to limit their movements.

Conditions on residents in the Northern Beaches were similar to those during NSW's initial outbreak of COVID-19 back in March, allowing them to leave their homes only to work, shop for necessary items, provide care or take brief isolated exercise.

On Sunday, NSW recorded its highest number of tests conducted in a single day, with 38,578 people tested.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters that a tightening of restrictions over Christmas would take place if warranted by the numbers of new cases over the coming week.


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Egypt receives second batch of Chinese COVID-19 vaccine
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Egypt has received its second shipment totaling 50,000 doses of anti-coronavirus vaccines developed by Chinese company Sinopharm, local magazine 

The delivery brings the country's total inventory of the jab to 100,000, enough to have 50,000 people vaccinated. Each individual will need two doses of the vaccine, with an interval of 21 days in between.

Unnamed sources at Egypt's Ministry of Health and Population told 

Meanwhile, the country has launched a dedicated website for citizens who want to reserve doses of the vaccine. The website will start accepting registrations early next week, a source at the health ministry told local media.

"It is not possible to use any vaccine except after making sure of its effectiveness and safety for humans," the source told 

According to the source, the Chinese vaccine is safe and it is the same vaccine that over 3,000 volunteers have received with no reported health complications.

The source said that 99 percent of those who received the vaccine produced antibodies, 86 percent of those who were exposed to the coronavirus after receiving the vaccine did not get infected, and 14 percent showed only slight symptoms.


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5.1-magnitude quake hits 244 km SE of Katsuura, Japan: USGS
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HONG KONG - An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.1 jolted 244 km SE of Katsuura, Japan at 0154 GMT on Sunday, the US Geological Survey said.

The epicenter, with a depth of 19.5 km, was initially determined to be at 33.4878 degrees north latitude and 142.0617 degrees east longitude.


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Rockets strike main US-NATO base in Afghanistan: official
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CHARIKAR, Afghanistan -- Rockets fired by militants Saturday struck a main US-NATO base in Bagram district of Afghanistan's Parwan province, to the north of Kabul, with no immediate report on casualties or extent of damage, a provincial government spokesperson confirmed.

"Five rounds of rockets were fired onto Bagram Airfield from an abandoned truck parked in Qalandar Khil locality of Bagram district roughly at 5:50 am local time Saturday," Wahida Shahkar told reporters via a text message.

She said seven rockets failed to be fired and were defused by Afghan security forces.

Further details about the incident are still forthcoming.

The Bagram Airfield, some 50 km north of the Afghan capital of Kabul, has been serving as a main US and NATO military base in Afghanistan over the past 19 years.

No group has claimed responsibility yet for the attack.


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Lab-grown meat to make historic debut in Singapore
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Singapore's decision to allow the production and sale of laboratory-grown meat will prove a milestone in helping both the land-scarce country and others to sustain food security and help counter climate change, analysts said.

As the first country to approve the manufacture of cell-cultured meat, Singapore can serve as a role model to other countries keen to boost food production using this technology.

Bruce Friedrich, executive director of international nonprofit Good Food Institute, said Singapore is leading the global transition to a "safe, secure, and sustainable" food supply.

"As nations race to divorce meat production from industrial animal agriculture, countries that delay their investment in this bright food future risk getting left behind. The rest of the world should be following Singapore's lead by funding alternative protein research and working with companies to ensure a rigorous and thorough path to regulatory approval and oversight,"Friedrich said in a statement.

Dean Jerry, director of research at the Singapore campus of the Australia-based James Cook University, said: "You'll definitely see a snowball effect."

Jerry, however, does not see cultured meat evolving into a mainstream product. He expects it to cater more to a niche market that is willing to pay a premium for alternative meat options.

The Singapore Food Agency approved on Dec 2 an application to manufacture and sell cell-cultured chicken by Eat Just. Based in the United States, the startup is known for developing plant-based egg substitutes.

Paul Teng, adjunct senior fellow at the Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, said the production of cultured meat is in line with the Singapore government's "30 by 30" food security plan.

Under the plan, Singapore aims to produce 30 percent of its nutritional needs by 2030. With a land area that only spans over 700 square kilometers, Singapore has barely enough space for farming and needs to import roughly 90 percent of its food.

Singapore, he said, is aiming to meet 10 percent of its 2030 needs by growing its own proteins, which includes cultured meat. Other protein sources, like eggs and plant-based protein, as well as the production of more fish, are also being targeted.

"Singapore is a city-state. We have little land for farming and (in order to attain) food security, we have to beef up local food production capabilities," said William Chen, Michael Fam Chair Professor and director of the NTU's Food Science and Technology Program.

Chen said the coronavirus pandemic has shown the need to reduce reliance on imported food. Chen said that with COVID-19 disrupting the supply chain, even countries that have the means to import goods cannot access them, with borders shut to curb the spread of the disease.

 


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Budget passage offers relief for Malaysia PM Muhyiddin
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Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has passed a crucial test of his leadership following the passage of his first federal budget, but that does not mean the end of his troubles as the ruling party's slim majority in parliament will continue to threaten his tenuous hold on power, analysts said.

After six weeks of debate, members of the lower house of Malaysia's parliament voted to pass Budget 2021, or the Supply Bill 2021, during its third reading on Dec 15. The 322.54 billion ringgit ($79.8 billion) budget is the largest in the country's history, with most of the funds going to economic recovery efforts and measures to combat COVID-19. There were over 86,000 COVID-19 cases in Malaysia as of mid-December.

A total of 111 Members of Parliament supported the proposed budget, while 108 MPs voted against the bill. The budget will now be sent to the Upper House, or Senate, for ratification.

Analysts said the voting only reaffirmed the ruling Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition's razor-thin majority in the parliament.

Awang Azman Awang Pawi, associate professor at the Academy of Malay Studies at the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, welcomed the passage of the budget, noting that this will finally allow the government to focus on economic development and ensuring people's welfare. The problem, however, is that Muhyiddin's position remains "fragile and uncertain".

"It would be very hard for Muhyiddin to propose anything (to the parliament) because he has no strong support from the MPs," Awang Azman said.

James Chin, director of the Asia Institute Tasmania at Australia's University of Tasmania, said PN's "very slim" majority means Muhyiddin's position remains precarious. But at the same time, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) leader Anwar Ibrahim's failure to secure enough votes to defeat the bill exposed the weakness of the opposition camp. This, despite Anwar's earlier declaration that he had the parliamentary majority.

"This is the end of Anwar's push to get rid of Muhyiddin. I don't think the opposition has the numbers to get rid of him," Chin said.

Chin is hoping that now that the bill has been passed, the Malaysian government can move on and start reviving Southeast Asia's third largest economy.

In a statement issued after the third reading, Muhyiddin thanked the parliament for its support for the bill. He said that the approval of the 2021 budget will help the government in implementing programs to combat the pandemic and improving Malaysians' standard of living.

"I hope the Members of Parliament will continue to provide the best service to the citizens and the country," Muhyiddin said.

The debate over the 2021 budget marked the latest challenge to nine-month old PN-led government, which has been wracked by political infighting and questions over its legitimacy as Muhyiddin assumed the premiership without the support of a popular vote.

Malaysian King Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah appointed Muhyiddin at the end of February after then Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad resigned from his post following disagreements over a planned transfer of power to Anwar. The transition was part of Mahathir's promise to Anwar when they decided to form the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition that won the 2018 elections.

Muhyiddin, who was then part of PH, bolted the party and joined forces with the United Malays National Organization and Malaysian Islamic Party or PAS to form the PN coalition. The PN then endorsed Muhyiddin to the Malaysian monarch.

The new prime minister took oath of office on March 1.

Since then, the parliament has become a testing ground for Muhyiddin and PN. The ruling coalition so far has managed to retain its majority in the parliament. Despite the slim majority, it managed to secure critical wins such as installing a party member as the new House Speaker and passing the Supply Bill.

Wong Chin Huat, a political scientist at the Jeffrey Cheah Institute on Southeast Asia at Sunway University in Kuala Lumpur, said the deliberations over the Supply Bill have shown where both the PN and the opposition currently stand.

"The 111 to 108 vote is the best reading of both sides' strength," he said.

Wong noted that Muhyiddin only has a three-seat majority and as such a defection of just two members is enough to dislodge the PN-led government. However, Wong said the current situation also shows the weakness of the opposition and why Anwar needs to change his strategy if he still wants to become Malaysia's next prime Minister.

He said the opposition needs to offer better policies on the pandemic, economic development, the environment and ethnic relations if they want to have a fighting chance in the 2023 general elections.

"The opposition's future hinges not on who is the best Prime Minister candidate, but whether the person can even form a shadow cabinet and offer better policies than Muhyiddin's," Wong said.


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Bangladesh embassy celebrates Victory Day in Beijing
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The Bangladesh embassy in Beijing celebrated the country's 49th Victory Day on Wednesday in grand fashion.

A flag-raising ceremony started the day's celebration, followed by a one-minute silence to pay tribute to the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and martyred fighters of the Liberation War of 1971.

A webinar discussing the significance of day was held at the embassy, where messages from the Bangladeshi president, prime minister and foreign minister were read.

In his speech, Bangladeshi Ambassador to China Mahbub Uz Zaman highlighted the significance of the historic day while highlighting the role of the government in upholding the spirit of the liberation war by advancing Bangladesh into a progressive middle-income country by 2021.

The envoy lauded the visionary leadership of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for transforming the Bangladesh economy toward attaining the Sustainable Development Goals and turning Bangladesh into a developed country by the year 2041.

Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming joined the event from Dhaka via Zoom link as a special guest.

He hailed China-Bangladesh relations as "impressive" and expressed confidence they will be strengthened in the coming days.

China would be ready to expand cooperation as "one of the largest development partners of Bangladesh", he said, lauding Bangladesh's economic progress during the pandemic and adding Bangladesh has adopted effective measures for containing COVID-19.

Professor Xu Baofeng of Beijing Language and Culture University, who joined the webinar in Beijing, congratulated Bangladesh and its people on the Victory Day.

The professor stressed the need to foster people-to-people exchanges between China and Bangladesh and engage more in literary collaboration, such as translation of classic literature.

Cultural events featuring music and dance performances were also held at the embassy in celebration.


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COVID-19 vaccines 'not a silver bullet': WHO
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MANILA - The World Health Organization (WHO) regional office for the Western Pacific on Thursday called for greater vigilance amid the roll-out of coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine, saying the vaccine is not a "silver bullet" that will end the nearly year-long pandemic which have already killed over 1.6 million.

"Whoever you are, wherever you live, as long as the virus is circulating somewhere, we all remain at risk, and we must keep preparing for the worst-case scenario," WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific Takeshi Kasai said in a virtual media briefing.

Kasai appealed to the younger and socially active people aged under 40 to "do everything you can to avoid infection for yourself and everybody around you" despite the anxiety and uncertainties brought about by the pandemic.

"By following the advice of health authorities you can directly contribute to protecting the lives of people in your community and in doing so to reviving your society's economies in 2021," Kasai said.

"I urge you to think about those who may be at high risk of severe COVID. If you catch the virus, you could unknowingly pass it on to your parents or grandparents, your neighbor or friend with an underlying condition," Kasai said.

Moreover, he urged the young to "think of health workers who have been working day and night for almost a year. They are exhausted."

Kasai also appealed to the governments across the region "to use an additional layer of surveillance that picks up an early sign of infection among those groups that are difficult to catch with the existing system."

Kasai said the COVID-19 vaccines "are not a silver bullet that will end the pandemic in the near future."

"The development of a safe and effective vaccine is one thing but producing them in adequate quantities and reaching everyone that needs them is another. They will initially only be available in limited quantities and high-risk groups should be prioritized first," he said.

"This means that we are tired of this pandemic, we must stick to the actions and behavior which protect not only ourselves but also those around us. Hand washing, mask-wearing, physical distancing and avoiding places that have a high risk of transmission," he added.

"For now we must keep making the choices that will reduce transmission of the virus and protect our families and our communities. By doing so we can go into 2021 with hope," Kasai said.

Babatunde Olowokure, WHO regional emergency director, echoed Kasai, saying that "COVID-19 vaccine itself is not a silver bullet to end the COVID-19."

"There is no room for complacency. So we must continue to remain vigilant, continue to comply with our public health interventions," he said.

He further urged governments to "look at strategies" which could help younger population cope with public health interventions and to manage those appropriately.

There are now 985,539 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Western Pacific Region, including 18,641 deaths.


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DPRK leader visits Kumsusan Palace of Sun on national memorial day
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PYONGYANG - Kim Jong-un, the top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), commemorated the anniversary of his father Kim Jong-il's death by visiting the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun on Thursday, reported the official Korean Central News Agency.

The report said Kim Jong-un visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun on the occasion of "the greatest national memorial day," on which his father Kim Jong-il died nine years ago.

A floral basket in the name of Kim Jong-un was laid before the statues of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, it said, and Kim Jong-un, together with other visitors, paid high tribute to the statues.

In the hall where Kim Jong-il lies in state, Kim Jong-un made a deep bow in deep reverence for his father "who dedicated his whole life to the country and people," the report said.


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Vaccine blow prompts Australia rethink
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Unsatisfactory results from trials of Australia's COVID-19 vaccine have forced the country to opt for buying vaccines from abroad.

The University of Queensland, or UQ, and global biotech company CSL confirmed on Friday that they had abandoned trials of an Australian COVID-19 vaccine after recipients generated HIV antibodies during phase one tests.

The development came as a blow to dozens of the country's leading scientists who have been working on the project for most of the year.

"This is a reminder of the stark reality of vaccine development," said Sanjaya Senanayake, a specialist in infectious diseases and associate professor of medicine at the Australian National University in Canberra.

"While it is disappointing, it is not surprising that one of the many COVID-19 vaccines has failed," he said, pointing out that around 90 percent of vaccines never make it to market.

"As a global community, we have been spoiled with the unprecedented swiftness and success with which the development of COVID-19 vaccines has taken place."

The decision to abandon the vaccine in its current form was decided in consultation with the Australian government and CSL on Dec 7.

The Australian government has since bought rights to 20 million additional vaccine doses from a partnership between Oxford University and drugmaker AstraZeneca and an additional 11 million doses from Novavax, according to the ABC.

During a media briefing on Friday, scientists said that at no time during the trial was there any possibility the vaccine caused HIV infection, and routine follow-up tests confirmed no HIV was present.

UQ vaccine co-lead Paul Young said fixing the vaccine would set development back another year.

// Lack of confidence //

Brendan Murphy, secretary of Australia's Department of Health, said: "It was likely to work. But we knew that we didn't want to have any issues with confidence, and this false-positive test may have caused some confusion and lack of confidence."

UQ-CSL researchers stressed there were no adverse health implications and no possibility that the candidate vaccine would cause HIV.

In a statement to the Australian Stock Exchange, CSL said that if the vaccine is to be released, it would require "significant changes" to HIV testing procedures.

Sarah Palmer, co-director of the Centre for Virus Research at The Westmead Institute for Medical Research and professor in the faculty of medicine at the University of Sydney, said the announcement was a setback in the search for a COVID-19 vaccine.

"Generating a false positive for HIV is entirely unexpected for this vaccine but underscores the critical necessity of testing the safety of newly developed vaccines in large numbers of volunteers," Palmer said.

Senanayake said the problem was that the innovative molecular clamp technology of the UQ vaccine had needed a protein from HIV.

"There was never any risk of participants in the trial getting HIV－think of it as using a body part rather than a whole person－but it did mean that some participants were testing positive to HIV even though they didn't have HIV," he said.

"This could have led to confusion and anxiety as people tested positive to HIV without actually having the infection."


==========
Japan's travel promotion freeze viewed as costly
==========
A move by Japan to suspend a controversial travel campaign could result in a $860 million hit to projected domestic spending over the prime New Year holiday period, researchers said.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Monday announced a temporary halt to the "Go To Travel" promotion, which had been conceived as a means to stoke consumer spending that was depressed by the coronavirus pandemic. The suspension will apply from Dec 28 to Jan 11.

Takahide Kiuchi, an economist at Nomura Securities, made the projection for the impact on domestic consumption resulting from the program's suspension over that period.

Kiuchi's fellow economist at Nomura, Masaki Kuwahara, said the move was negative for the economy.

"We had expected growth to stay barely in the positive reading, but now it's possible the economy will slip into negative territory," he told Bloomberg News.

On Wednesday, the Tokyo metropolitan government reported a single-day record of 678 infections, topping the previous high of 621 logged on Saturday. The surge in cases forced Suga to put virus containment ahead of the economy.

"We decided to take the utmost measures to stem the further spread of infections and reduce the burden on hospitals so that people will be able to welcome a calm and peaceful new year," said Suga.

But he insisted that travel "should not necessarily be blamed for the surge in cases".

However, many have criticized Suga for taking too long to suspend the travel promotion.

Yukio Edano, leader of Japan's Constitutional Democratic Party, said the government took the action too late, though added that the suspension of the campaign during the bumper New Year holiday period would be a huge blow to the tourism and restaurant industries.

In defending Suga, Yasutoshi Nishimura, the minister in charge of the nation's response to the coronavirus, said the decision was a painful one but that it "represented the best timing to reduce face-to-face interactions that could spread the virus".

"We will do everything we can to stop the spread of infections at an early stage," Nishimura said.

The sudden announcement on Monday also caught many would-be tourists off guard, with many booking companies facing a deluge of cancellations.




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Ministry warns Australia over trade measures
==========
China asked the Australian government on Wednesday to take concrete measures to correct its discriminatory actions against Chinese companies, after Australia announced its plan to seek World Trade Organization intervention over China's barley imports.

"I want to stress that the Australian government should take China's concerns seriously," Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a regular news briefing in Beijing.

On Wednesday, Australian Trade Minister Simon Birmingham said Australia will launch a formal appeal to the WTO seeking a review of China's decision to impose tariffs on imports of Australian barley.

A day earlier, Wang had refuted recent reports "in which Australia dresses up as a victim, pointing an accusing finger at China, directly or by insinuation".

Wang said that recent measures taken by China on some imported products from Australia are in line with China's laws and regulations and international practices.

"In fact, it is the Australian side that has been politicizing economic, investment and technological issues, and discriminating against Chinese companies in violation of market economy principles and international trade rules," he said.

According to the spokesman, Chinese companies' investments in Australia have nose-dived since 2017, and the figure declined last year by 85 percent compared with the 2016 level.

The decrease was due to the discriminatory actions taken by Australia, such as turning down a dozen of Chinese investment projects on so-called national security grounds, Wang said.

He noted that Australia even led a few other countries in shutting out Chinese companies from participating in 5G network building with no solid evidence, and "it has yet to offer a plausible explanation for that".

So far, Australia has launched more than 106 anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations against China, but China only launched four such cases against Australia, the spokesman said.

Wang said these actions by Australia are in violation of market principles and a bilateral free trade agreement, and that they also disrupted bilateral cooperation and damaged Australia's image and reputation.

"We hope that the Australian side will reflect upon its own conduct, match its words with deeds, and provide favorable conditions for bilateral practical cooperation in various fields, instead of the opposite," he added.


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1st batch of rails for Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway arrives in Indonesia
==========
 

JAKARTA - The first batch of 50-meter-long rails from China for the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway (HSR) arrived at Indonesian Central Java province's port city Cilacap on Wednesday, the railway operator said here.

KCIC, a joint venture consortium by Chinese and Indonesian state-owned firms that will build and run the 142.3-km railway linking Jakarta and West Java's capital of Bandung, said the arrival of the first batch of rails marked significant progress of the track laying for the mega project.

KCIC said the rails will be stored in the rail yard in Cilacap for a short time before being transported to the HSR's depot in the terminal station of Tegalluar in Bandung.

Completion of the overall Jakarta-Bandung HSR project is expected by 2021. After being put into commercial service, the travel time between the two cities would be significantly slashed from the existing over three hours to 40 minutes.


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Tens of thousands of Australians stranded abroad remain govt's 'priority': PM
==========
 

CANBERRA - Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has told Australians stranded overseas that they remain his "first priority".

More than 38,000 Australians currently overseas have registered to return to the country but have been hampered by the cap on international arrivals, which is currently set at about 7,000 per week in order to protect the hotel quarantine system.

In a message to those people on Wednesday, Morrison reiterated his determination to bring them home.

"We know you want to come home and you have every right to come home," he told Seven Network television.

"You are an Australian and you are my first priority in terms of people coming back into the country."

The government has faced criticism over its failure to repatriate Australians.

Greg Hunt, the health minister, said in September that the government was working to ensure that "every Australian who wants to come home is home by Christmas" on Dec. 25.

Earlier in December former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said that Morrison had failed to implement the necessary flight and quarantine arrangements to achieve the goal.


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COVID-19 creates turmoil in Asia-Pacific labor markets
==========
Massive drops in working hours due to the COVID-19 crisis have had a devastating effect on jobs and incomes in the Asia-Pacific region, while women and young people have taken a hit at a much higher rate compared to other groups, said a newly released report.

It is estimated that the economic backlash of the pandemic has wiped out some 81 million jobs around the world in 2020, and employment levels also contracted compared to 2019, according to Asia–Pacific Employment and Social Outlook 2020, a document released on Tuesday by the International Labour Organization.

The impact of the crisis has been far-reaching, with underemployment surging as millions of workers are asked to work reduced hours or no hours at all. Overall, working hours in the Asia-Pacific region decreased by an estimated 15.2 percent in the second quarter and by 10.7 percent in the third quarter of 2020, relative to pre-crisis levels.

Working-hour losses are also influenced by the millions of people moving outside the labor force or into unemployment as job creation in the region collapsed.

Using available quarterly data, the report provides a preliminary estimate that the regional unemployment rate could increase from 4.4 percent in 2019 to somewhere between 5.2 percent and 5.7 percent in 2020.

Chihoko Asada Miyakawa, ILO's assistant director general and regional director for Asia and the Pacific, said the virus has inflicted a hammer-blow on the region's labor markets, one that few governments in the region stood ready to handle.

Low levels of social security coverage and limited institutional capacity in many countries have made it difficult to help enterprises and workers back on their feet, a situation compounded when large numbers remain in the informal economy, she said.

"These pre-crisis weaknesses have left far too many exposed to the pain of economic insecurity when the pandemic hit and inflicted its toll on working hours and jobs."

Meanwhile, in most countries in the region, the report found that women are experiencing a larger decline in working hours and employment than men, and are more likely to move into inactivity.

The same situation emerged among young people, who have also been especially affected by working-hour and job losses. The youth share in overall employment loss was 3 to 18 times higher than their share in total employment.

"With increased unemployment, young workers are likely to find it difficult to compete for new jobs. When they do find work, it may well be a job that does not match their aspirations," said Sara Elder, senior economist at the ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.

Millions of women have also paid a high price and it could take years for those who have exited the labor force to return to full employment, she added.

Given the scope of the damage to labor markets, the report also warned that the overall size of the fiscal response in the region has been insufficient, especially in the region’s developing economies.

As a result of fiscal expenditure gaps, the crisis is likely to exacerbate inequalities among countries in the Asia and the Pacific, it said.

According to a preliminary estimate, an additional 22 million to 25 million people could fall into working poverty, which would push the total number of working poor (living on less than $1.90 a day) in the Asia–Pacific region to between 94 and 98 million in 2020.


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Vaccines alone not enough to keep Australia safe from coronavirus: report
==========
CANBERRA - The Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (AAHMS) has warned that vaccines alone will not be enough to keep the country COVID-safe in 2021.

The AAHMS, which is comprised of more than 400 researchers, on Tuesday published a report providing advice on the next steps in Australia's pandemic response.

It called for the "ongoing implementation of comprehensive public health measures" including high levels of testing and mask wearing, contact tracing and mandatory quarantine periods for international arrivals and positive cases.

It urged governments to continue the prevention and treatment of long-term health issues related to the pandemic with a focus on mental health issues.

According to the latest figures updated on Monday evening from the Department of Health, there had been 28,039 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Australia. And the numbers of locally and overseas acquired cases in the last seven days were zero and 68 respectively.

"By any global measure the Australian approach has been a spectacular success," Tania Sorrell, an infectious disease researcher and chair of the committee that produced the report, said in a media release.

"But this has come at significant cost and, as the second wave in Victoria showed, success can be very fragile."

In the review, the academy identified four areas for priority attention, including the need to create effective systems and capabilities to develop, manufacture and distribute vaccines, treatments, and diagnostics.


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Japan, S. Korea leaders on back foot
==========
// Cases surge hits new PM's poll ratings, while strains follow clamps in Seoul //

TOKYO/SEOUL－Japan and South Korea grappled with surging coronavirus cases and growing public frustration on Monday as Japan's prime minister suspended a contentious travel subsidy program while South Korea ordered schools to close from Tuesday in the capital Seoul.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga late on Monday further restricted a travel subsidy program in a bid to contain mounting coronavirus infections, as his approval rating plummeted to about 50 percent from about 70 percent in the three months over the handling of the pandemic.

The government has decided to suspend the "Go To Travel" from Dec 28 to Jan 11 nationwide, local media reported on Monday.

Suga also announced plans to compensate bars that cooperate with early-closure requests and provide special allowances for medical workers.

Media had widely reported earlier that the suspension would cover only the hardest-hit cities and regions such as the capital, Tokyo, and Nagoya, in central Japan.

Tokyo, the Japanese city hardest hit by the virus, confirmed 480 new infections on Sunday, official figures showed.

South Korea ordered schools to close from Tuesday in Seoul and surrounding areas as it battles its worst outbreak since the pandemic began, surpassing the previous peak in February.

Schools in the capital region would move classes online until the end of the month, in the latest ratcheting up of social distancing measures which so far have failed to reverse the spike in infections.

The school closures mark a step toward the imposition of Phase 3 social distancing rules, a move that would essentially lock down Asia's fourth-largest economy.

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said such a step required careful review, as the government comes under mounting pressure to do more to stem the rise in infections.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on Monday reported 718 new cases, down from the record daily increase from a day earlier.


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Southeast Asia's future will ride on cooperation
==========
 

Though initially managing to curb the spread of COVID-19, Southeast Asian nations still need to be vigilant and work hard to avoid subsequent waves of the pandemic. Access to vaccines will be the immediate priority. And while multilateral cooperation is key, building trust is also needed.

Being more moderately affected by the pandemic than other parts of the world, Southeast Asia might be in a better position to bounce back from the crisis. But that will take bold and concerted efforts from its governments, which will need to spend wisely to prop up the economy and strengthen social protection systems.

In that regard, despite most countries' focus on a national-centric approach to recovery, it is more important than ever to reflect on how multilateral cooperation can help governments to achieve these national goals. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, as the cornerstone multilateral regional architecture, must use its convening powers to conduct cooperation with other powers to propel the region forward and out of the pandemic-induced crisis.

Although the economic impact brought by measures to curb the virus is immense, ASEAN must seize this opportunity to deepen economic integration in the region. The ASEAN connectivity plan needs to be thrust into high speed to hasten infrastructure development. Digitalization, which has been the plan of the ASEAN Connectivity Blueprint, should be accelerated.

Most important, ASEAN must strive to help the region work toward a more sustainable, inclusive and resilient future. This requires governments to invest in the right sectors, such as green economy and technological advancement in line with Industrial Revolution 4.0, and to strengthen education and health systems.

In addition, COVID-19 has taught us a good lesson about the importance of diversifying supply chains and increasing the resilience of local industry, as well as enhancing food security and domestic production of essential items. These are areas where ASEAN can work together with other regional partners.

On the security front, ASEAN must manage tensions in the South China Sea and not turn the region into an area for conflict. The drafting of the code of conduct in the South China Sea, which is expected to be completed in 2021, would be a great milestone.

Some countries in the region seem to face a dilemma when the United States toughens its approach toward China on the geopolitical front, though a new US administration may soften its China position.

On the one hand, China is a neighbor and a major trading partner. Many Southeast Asian countries are beneficiaries of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative. On the other hand, the South China Sea remains a contentious issue for some countries. The dilemma will become more apparent as Southeast Asian states step up cooperation with China post-pandemic.

In that regard, China can play a positive role in helping Southeast Asia recover.

Southeast Asia, in particular Malaysia, has good relations with China despite disputes over the South China Sea. During his visit to Malaysia in September, Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe said that China will "meet Southeast Asia halfway". His visit, which was followed by that of Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in October, goes to show the importance of Southeast Asia in China's foreign policy.

Given that the COVID-19 nightmare can only be over with a vaccine, much work needs to be done to rebuild the economy and society. Post-pandemic partnerships between China and Southeast Asia should go beyond mask and vaccine diplomacy to rebuilding the region in the spirit of "build back better".

China can help Southeast Asia in enhancing its digital infrastructure and adopting the "Smart City" concept by investing and sharing its technology. Post-pandemic, there might also be a trend of more intra-Asian trade with near-shoring and the diversification of investment by multinationals. China should also work together with Southeast Asia to strengthen regional supply chains.

It goes without saying that the hurdle of a lack of trust due to asymmetrical size, geographical proximity and unresolved disputes should be overcome. Southeast Asian states welcome with caution any collaboration with any partners, instead of having to choose sides.

For ASEAN-China relations to go further, building trust will be essential. Indeed, opportunities for cooperation abound post-pandemic, and now more than ever, ASEAN and China must work closer together for our common future.




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Kids send gratitude to 'Chinese uncles'
==========
"Hello, dear uncles! My final grade was pretty good and ranked the 3rd in my class. Thank you a lot for your care and help..."

The opening lines are from one of more than 60 letters expressing deep gratitude that Pakistani children have written to employees of a Chinese company.

Four years ago, after completing important infrastructure projects including the Karakoram Highway (KKH) Improvement Project, Chinese engineers of the China Road &Bridge Corporation, or CRBC, went all the way to Pakistan again to join the construction of the KKH Phase II Project, introducing Chinese standards and technologies to the towering mountains on the border between the two countries.

With a total length of 118 kilometers, the KKH Phase II Project was opened to traffic in July this year. It is the backbone of the north-south passage of Pakistan's road network.

The completion of the project could boost Pakistan's economic development and further promote China-Pakistan economic and trade cooperation.

It plays an essential role in strengthening Pakistan's international trade ties with neighboring Central Asian countries and improving Pakistan's investment environment, said He Yun, an assistant professor at the School of Public Administration at Hunan University.

During the construction of the KKH Phase II Project, the CRBC Pakistan office provided specialized public welfare funds every year to help local disadvantaged groups, with the beneficiaries including children in the SOS Children's Villages in Pakistan, an organization that provides alternative care for children who can no longer live with their parents.

The SOS Children's Villages in Pakistan was built in 1982. It is a nongovernmental public welfare organization that accommodates about 160 orphans and abandoned children from Mansehra, Abbottabad, Bataclan and other regions.

Lacking financial support for a long time, most of the facilities were too old to meet the basic living and learning needs of the children there.

// Genuine friendship //

Li Zhihuai, then general manager of the CRBC Pakistan office, said that while constructing high-quality projects for the Pakistani people, Chinese people have also brought benefits to the local society and residents, having developed a genuine friendship with local people.

Ma Guiming, a director of the office, recalled when he first saw a 2-year-old boy named Ehsan, whose small hands left a deep impression on him.

"The back of his hands was chapped and rough, unlike the skin of a two-year-old. It hurts when looking at it," he said. "There was no hot water in the orphanage, and children could only wash with cold water in winter, so their skin turned red and even had cracks from the cold."

Soon, the office added SOS Children's Villages as a recipient of targeted assistance.

On Aug 22, 2017, the "Love Orphans" charity donation and renovation project was launched in SOS Children's Villages.

"We renovated and decorated the orphanage's houses, equipped the orphanage with water heaters, solar panels, uninterrupted power supplies, batteries, and other essential daily necessities, and we also donated books, school supplies, etc," Ma recalled.

"Ni Hao! Xie Xie Shu Shu! (Hello! Thank you, uncles!)." A child named Amy who just received some donated books and paintbrushes, expressed her gratitude to the Chinese engineers in halting Mandarin.

Workers of the office often purchased and donated clothing, flour, rice, fruits, milk, and other daily necessities to the orphanage, played games with the children, and celebrated major local festivals together, which enriched the life of the children there.

"Children are the flowers of friendship, the bridges, and links for passing on China-Pakistan friendship, and they are the hope for the future of the country," said project director Wu Shixiang. "We hope that the friendship between China and Pakistan is higher than the mountains, deeper than the sea, and sweeter than honey."

The project office has also launched activities to help the locals, providing people from poverty-stricken families in remote areas with medical services and helping villagers build hardened roads, Wu said.

"The enthusiasm of the Chinese road builders was rewarded with sincere letters of thanks from the Pakistanis, which became the best witness for passing on the China-Pakistan friendship," he said.


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Work from home order eased in Australia's New South Wales
==========
 

SYDNEY -- As of Monday, the public health order issued by the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) requiring companies to allow staff to work from home has been lifted as the state continues to record no new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours.

The local business community has welcomed the news, saying the move is expected to bring back much needed foot traffic and benefit local business, especially those located in the central area of Sydney, the capital of NSW.

As employees return to the office, the companies are encouraged to have COVID-19 safety plans in place and stagger staff starting and finishing times to reduce the impact on public transport, while workers have been strongly recommended to continue to wear masks on public transport, the NSW government said on its website.

Meanwhile, the border restriction between NSW and the state of South Australia (SA) has also been lifted, allowing people to travel freely across two states without quarantine, NSW health department said in a statement on Monday.

Furthermore, the limit on the number of people allowed to visit residents in aged care facilities will be removed from Tuesday, making festive performances within those facilities possible ahead of Christmas, the state's health department said.

"The risk of transmission in the community is now low enough to facilitate the easing of restrictions for aged care, just as the NSW government has eased restrictions across many other areas," NSW Health's Director of Aged Care Stefanie Williams said.


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Tokyo, Nagoya to possibly be removed from Japanese gov't-backed travel campaign amid virus spike
==========
TOKYO - The Japanese government on Monday may exclude Tokyo and Nagoya as destinations from its subsidized "Go To Travel" campaign owing to an escalation in COVID-19 cases in both cities.

Officials said that following a meeting on the coronavirus response later in the day, the government is expected to make a decision as to whether the two cities will be excluded from the state-backed travel program.

The possible move comes as COVID-19 patients designated as being in a "serious condition" hit a record high of 583 in Japan on Sunday, official figures showed, with the number of new COVID-19 cases across the country totaling 2,334, compared to a record 3,041 new infections reported on Saturday.

Some medical officials now believe Japan is in the grip of a "third wave" of new infections.

Tokyo, the hardest hit by the virus among Japan's 47 prefectures, confirmed 480 new coronavirus infections on Sunday. This was down from a record 621 cases reported on Saturday, but marked the highest number of new daily infections for a Sunday, official figures showed.

Nagoya, meanwhile, confirmed 93 new COVID-19 cases, with Aichi Prefecture to which it belongs reporting 181 new cases of the virus.

In a news conference on Monday, Aichi Governor Hideaki Omura said that the central government had informed him about the possibility Nagoya may be removed from the travel program to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The central government has proposed that Tokyo be excluded from "Go To Travel" trips until Dec 25. The Tokyo metropolitan government, for its part, has gone a step further and is looking to extend the suspension through Jan 11 to curb the spread of the virus.

This would be in twine with the central government's proposal that the capital city of 14 million also extend its restrictions on establishments that serve alcohol, which currently have been requested to close at 10:00 pm until Thursday, until after the New year period in January.


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Fire kills 4 in Kyrgyzstan
==========
BISHKEK - A woman and her three children were killed in a fire in Kyrgyzstan, the press service of the country's Ministry of Emergency reported Monday.

The fire occurred at about 2:30 p.m. local time (0830 GMT) Sunday in a private house in the village of Novopokrovka, Chui Oblast.


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Cambodia keeps strict line on virus
==========
 

After months of logging only sporadic infections, Cambodia has taken no chances in its battle against COVID-19 by stepping up control measures.

As of Friday, 40 infections linked to the country's first known case of community transmission had been reported since late November, data from Cambodia's Ministry of Health shows.

To control the contagion, Cambodia has closed schools, museums, cinemas and theaters. It has also banned mass gatherings in the capital Phnom Penh and tourism drawcard Siem Reap, and contact tracing has been expanded to more provinces.

The emergence of community transmission has been traced to Nov 28, when six people in a family－members of whom live in the capital and in the northwestern province of Siem Reap－tested positive for the virus.

"The Nov 28th event is the biggest COVID-19 crisis Cambodia has encountered since the beginning of the pandemic," said Veasna Duong, head of the virology unit at the Institut Pasteur du Cambodge, or IPC, a research organization in Phnom Penh. He said it is still uncertain how the transmission will spread.

The IPC, which detected the first COVID-19 case in Cambodia on Jan 27, has been designated the testing center for cases suspected as arising from the community transmission. By Thursday, according to Duong, the virology unit had tested 150,000 samples from Jan 22, including 15,000 linked to the outbreak identified in late November. "The number of samples tested a day reached as high as 3,800," Duong said.

// Biggest challenge //

"The biggest challenge is that we are not able to identify the source of this community outbreak and that the event occurred during the Black Friday (shopping) event where people massed in shops," he said.

Daniel Tan, Cambodia country coordinator for the Sydney Southeast Asia Centre at the University of Sydney, said the latest cases showed that no country can afford to be complacent with controlling COVID-19.

"Before the first local transmission on Nov 28, Cambodia had relatively effective control measures," said Tan. "By the end of March, Cambodia closed its borders, imposed quarantine requirements, closed schools, encouraged mask-wearing, social distancing and canceled its Khmer New Year holiday."

Despite having far fewer resources for pandemic control than developed countries, Cambodia－with a population of about 16 million－had recorded just about 360 COVID-19 cases as of Sunday, of which most were imported. No deaths related to the virus have been reported.

Cambodia has received recognition for its control measures from the international community, including from World Bank experts.

Li Ailan, the World Health Organization's representative to Cambodia, said the government has strengthened preparedness for large-scale community transmission through a master plan.

Li said that the emergence of a cluster of cases is not surprising given the spread of COVID-19 worldwide.

On Dec 7, Prime Minister Hun Sen said that the kingdom will provide free COVID-19 vaccines to its citizens.




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Blast injures at least 15 in Rawalpindi, Pakistan
==========
ISLAMABAD - A blast hit a market area in Rawalpindi district of Pakistan's east Punjab province on Sunday, leaving at least 15 people injured, police sources said.

The incident happened when an improvised explosive device went off inside the market located near the Ganj Mandi area of Rawalpindi, police sources told Xinhua.

According to preliminary investigations, the bomb was planted in a vegetable cart by some unknown miscreants who fled the scene afterwards.

Rescue teams, police and security forces have reached the site and shifted the injured to a nearby hospital where several persons are in critical condition.

No group has claimed the attack yet.


==========
Indian PM Modi says new farm laws to benefit farmers
==========
NEW DELHI -- The recently enacted three new farm laws will bring in more investments in the agriculture sector and benefit farmers to a great extent, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday.

He said his government was committed to taking care of the farmers' interests.

"The cold storage infrastructure will be modernised. This will result in more investments in the agriculture sector. Farmers will be benefited the most out of it," Modi said while addressing the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

The remarks came on the day when farmers across the country were protesting against the three new farm laws by blocking major highways connecting Delhi with cities in other states.

Saturday was the 17th day of the farmers protests.

"We had seen walls between agriculture sector & other areas associated with it - be it agriculture infrastructure, food processing, storage or cold chain. All walls & obstacles are being removed now. After reforms, farmers will get new markets, options & more benefits of technology," said Modi.

According to him, all the walls between the agriculture sector and associated sectors have now been removed as the recent farm reforms will give farmers "new markets, access to technology" and help bring investments in agriculture that will benefit them.

The three farm laws passed by the country's Parliament are the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act 2020.

Farmers have been camping at inter-state borders around Delhi for over two weeks after being stopped by the Delhi Police from entering the national capital.

Presently the federal and state governments procure agriculture products from the farmers at the Minimum Support Price fixed every year.

One of main grudges of the farming community is that the three new farm laws would "promote" private companies which will ultimately "exploit" farmers by procuring their agriculture produce at a price below the MSP.


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10 workers hospitalized following explosion inside chemical factory in India
==========
NEW DELHI -- At least 10 workers were hospitalized Saturday following a massive blast which triggered fire inside a chemical factory in the southern Indian state of Telangana.

The blast took place inside a chemical factory in Industrial Development Authority, Bollarum on the outskirts of Hyderabad, the capital city of Telangana.

"Ten workers have been taken to hospital. Some of them have minor injuries and some had fallen unconscious," a senior official of fire service told Xinhua. "A blast inside the Vindya Organics factory triggered a massive fire. Fire tenders from Kukatpally, Patancheru, and Miyapur are at the spot trying to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading in the area."

Reports said thick smoke and loud noise left some workers unconscious.

Eyewitnesses said thick black fumes of smoke were seen billowing after the factory workers were running away in panic from the factory premises.

According to the fire service officer, the majority of the workers were outside the factory at the time of the explosion which happened during the lunch hour.

"No sooner our teams got the alert call, fire tenders rushed to the spot," the officer said. "The firefighting operation is underway."

So far the cause of the blast was not immediately known.

Police officials have registered a case and ordered an investigation to ascertain the reason that caused an explosion in the factory.

Officials said people in large numbers rushed to the factory to check whether their family members working in the area were safe.


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5.5-magnitude quake strikes off Japan's Iwate Prefecture: JMA
==========
TOKYO -- An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.5 on Saturday struck off Iwate Prefecture in northern Japan, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

The temblor occurred at around 04:19 pm local time, with its epicenter at a latitude of 40.1 degrees north and a longitude of 142.2 degrees east, and at depth of 50 km.

The quake logged 5 Lower in some parts of Iwate Prefecture on the Japanese seismic intensity scale which peaks at 7.

So far no tsunami warning has been issued.


==========
Pandemic delays return of Xiang Xiang
==========
China and Japan had agreed to push back the return of Xiang Xiang, the giant female panda and by far the most popular attraction at Tokyo's Ueno Zoological Gardens, to May 2021 due to COVID-19 concerns.

During a regular news conference on Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the decision was made in consideration to Xiang Xiang's safety and health.

"Due to COVID-19, it will be very difficult for Xiang Xiang to be returned to China by the end of this year as originally planned," Hua said, adding that authorities of China and Japan are consulting to set a new date for her return.

In Tokyo, Governor Yuriko Koike said the date was pushed back through next May and the return of Xiang Xiang's parents, Ri Ri and Shin Shin, was pushed back for about five years beyond next February. Her parents came to Japan in February 2011.

According to the Tokyo zoo, Xiang Xiang has grown from 147 grams at birth to 76.4 kilograms and as she turned three-years old, she acts more like an adult panda, resting for more than half the day, and has gotten better at climbing trees.

The female panda is currently lent to the Tokyo zoo and was originally planned to return to China at the end of December.

People in Japan have been bidding farewell to Xiang Xiang with different kinds of celebrations and souvenirs.

A department store near Ueno is holding a "thank you" celebration for Xiang Xiang, where people can buy panda-themed merchandise and food items.

Panda sweet buns and a strawberry and sour cream cake with the cream depicting panda head shapes are among the favorite food items of the store.

A commemorative medallion with an image of Xiang Xiang is priced at 650,000 yen ($6,234) as it was made of pure gold.

Being the major attraction of the Tokyo zoo, Xiang Xiang enjoyed popularity in Japan since she was born. The zoo had to introduce a ticketing system to reserve slots to watch her gambol around her enclosure. There is a daily limit of 6,500 people for Xiang Xiang alone, with slots typically reserved weeks in advance.

"The pandas are the most popular animals here－especially the cub," said Kay Sato, a spokeswoman for the zoo earlier this month. "We have always known that she will have to return to China this year as she is needed for breeding, but we are hoping that the adult pandas will be able to stay longer."




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Australian COVID-19 vaccine program scrapped
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SYDNEY -- An Australian COVID-19 vaccine under development by the University of Queensland (UQ) and local biotech firm CSL will not progress to Phase 2/3 trials after returning false positive HIV test results.

Relevant parties announced Friday that despite eliciting an effective virus response and strong safety profile, a deal for the Australian government to purchase over 50 million doses of the vaccine had been cancelled.

UQ and CSL stressed there was no possibility the vaccine causes HIV infection and that 216 people involved in the trial experienced no serious adverse health effects.

The issue stems from the use of an HIV protein to stabilize UQ's molecular clamp vaccine. Despite posing no risk to health, the presence of the protein prompts an antibody response which is detectable in HIV tests.

However, due to the implications of delivering the vaccine to the broader populations and potential interference with existing HIV testing procedures, CSL and the Australian government agreed vaccine development would not proceed to Phase 2/3 trials.

"Obviously if we have other great options for vaccines, then it doesn't make sense for people to have a false-positive HIV test. So that's why this has stopped," Clinical epidemiologist at the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, Nancy Baxter told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Chief Scientific Officer for CSL Dr. Andrew Nash said the outcome "highlights the risk of failure associated with early vaccine development."

CSL will continue with plans to manufacture approximately 30 million doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine candidate with first doses planned for release in Australia in early 2021.

Following the failure of the UQ vaccine, the Australian government revealed it would commission the manufacture of additional 20 million doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca and increase access to the U.S. Novavax vaccine to around 50 million doses.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said it was no surprise that not all vaccine candidates made it through the trial process and that a commitment to safety and health was central to the government's response.

"I do want to thank, though, Professor Paul Young and all the team up there at the University of Queensland for the amazing work that they have done in getting the vaccine to that stage," Morrison said.

"We will continue to support and fund the work that they're doing on molecular clamp research on vaccines, which has application in many other areas."


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UK signs Singapore free-trade deal
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The United Kingdom and Singapore have signed a free trade agreement worth more than 17 billion pounds ($22.5 billion), marking another major trade deal for the UK that is bogged down in a tense negotiation with the European Union.

The deal was signed by Britain's International Trade Secretary Liz Truss and Singapore's Trade Minister Chan Chun Sing, at a ceremony in the Southeast Asian city-state on Thursday.

It comes as UK negotiations for a Brexit trade agreement with the European Union remain locked with the Dec 31 deadline looming.

The deal effectively duplicates the agreement Singapore already has in place with the EU, meaning trade would continue as normal from Jan 1.

The agreement is the latest in a wider UK effort to secure new trade deals worldwide that will replicate and replace relationships it had through its EU membership.

The British government signed its first major post-Brexit bilateral trade deal with Japan in October, and the UK and Canada agreed last month to continue trading under the same terms as the current EU agreement after the Brexit transition period ends.

According to the UK government, this latest agreement means it has now secured new trade deals with 57 countries that account for 193 billion pounds of UK bilateral trade. Truss is also this week seeking to finalize a trade agreement with Vietnam.

It is London's first free trade agreement with a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, and the second biggest in the Asia-Pacific region.

As it stands, 84 percent of tariffs that apply to Singapore exports are exempted. All duties will be eliminated by November 2024, said a joint ministerial statement by Singapore and the UK.

"Singapore is the UK's main trading and investment partner in ASEAN, while the UK is the leading destination for Singaporean investment in Europe," said Truss.

It is the "latest step in the UK's strategy to create a network of trade agreements with dynamic economies far beyond Europe", said a government statement.

Singapore counts Britain among its top partners for goods and services worldwide, and is its top investment destination in Europe, the BBC reported.

"Beyond the significant benefits to our respective businesses, the (deal) is a strong statement against protectionism and nativism," Chan said.

Singapore and the UK are both global leaders in the digital economy and 70 percent of UK services exports were delivered remotely to Singapore last year, worth 3.2 billion pounds, according to the British government.


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China ramps up role in tech innovation
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China has emerged as an increasingly important player in the fourth industrial revolution, having patented technologies at a rate that is growing at double the global average, according to a European Patent Office study released on Thursday.

From a very low starting point in the late 2000s, China's innovative activity has increased very quickly, registering an annual average growth between 2010 and 2018 of 39.3 percent, which is twice the global average of 19.7 percent.

China overtook South Korea in 2017 and, after generating more than 6,300 international patent families in 2018, now stands almost on par with Europe and Japan.

Antonio Campinos, president of the European Patent Office, said: "Our study shows that Chinese innovation in the field of fourth industrial revolution technologies has increased greatly. China has displayed, by far, the fastest growth of all major innovation centers around the world. Its universities, businesses, and regional hubs are becoming increasingly important players in the global 4IR innovation landscape."

The study further reveals that China's innovation in the field of the fourth industrial revolution is specialized in connectivity and software, areas in which companies such as its technology giants Huawei and ZTE have become world leaders.

The report shows Huawei, which was outside the top 10 between 2000 and 2009, moved up to fifth place between 2010 and 2018.

ZTE is the second Chinese company to be listed in the 20 leading companies in the field, ranked 13th.

In addition, both Shenzhen and Beijing are among the world's most important clusters for fourth industrial revolution patents, with Shenzhen accounting for 3.1 percent of all global patents in the field, ranking it fifth, and Beijing accounting for 2.3 percent between 2010 and 2018.

With a growth rate of more than 30 percent annually since 2010, Beijing is now the fastest-growing innovation cluster in the top 20.

The study, entitled Patents and the Fourth Industrial Revolution - the global technology trends enabling the data-driven economy, looks at all international patent families from 2000 to 2018, and shows that innovation in fourth industrial revolution technologies has accelerated significantly worldwide.

Global patent filings for the technologies, which involve smart, connected objects and span the internet of things, big data, 5G, and artificial intelligence, grew at an average annual rate of almost 20 percent - nearly five times faster than the average for all technology fields, between 2010 and 2018.

"Constellations of smart, connected devices, faster wireless internet, big data, and AI are transforming the global economy and having a profound impact across many sectors, from manufacturing to healthcare to transport," Campinos said. "What we are seeing is not just an acceleration of the development of information and communications technology - it is a major shift toward a fully data-driven economy."


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NATO should probe war crimes if it cares about human rights in Afghanistan
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US-led coalition forces entered Afghanistan with the narrative of the "war on terror" following the September 11 attacks in New York City in 2001. Since then, this nearly two decades old conflict has had a devastating impact on the lives of Afghan civilians. They have bore the brunt of this never ending war with constant human rights atrocities.

Recent revelations that a handful of Australian elite soldiers conducted "competition killing" and "blood lust" and "inhumane and unnecessary treatment of prisoners" on Afghan civilians grabbed global headlines, and outraged Afghan people — causing an outpouring of grief and calls for justice.

A four-year long investigation made by Major General Justice Paul Brereton found that "throw-downs" or planting weapons on innocent people, followed with fake "cover story" narratives, were used to justify torture and executions performed during interrogations performed by Australian troops.

At least 39 Afghan civilians- including prisoners, farmers and civilians - were summarily murdered by Australian elite soldiers during the war between 2001 and 2015.

One Afghan man was allegedly used as "target practice." The throats of two 14-year-old boys were slit and their "bodies were bagged and thrown in a nearby river." American and British special forces were also allegedly involved in war crimes. "Blooding" and "warrior culture," the name some Aussie Special Air Service units adopted, have roots in colonial history. This violent tradition saw Afghan non-combatants toyed with as sacrificial lambs.

Subsequent to the findings, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison expressed his apology to Afghan state and nation.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian raised eyebrows when he tweeted, "Shocked by murder of Afghan civilians and prisoners by Australian soldiers. We strongly condemn such acts and call for holding them accountable." This was accompanied with a photo-cartoon which showed an Australian soldier holding a knife to the throat of a horrified Afghan child against a backdrop of their two national flags.

In response, Morrison adopted a defensive tone as he branded it "repugnant" and demanded an apology. The Chinese government refused.

It is self-explanatory that trampling upon the human rights of the Afghan people and spilling the blood of non-combatants under the narrative of the "war on terror" is "unforgiveable." Afghan soldiers and civilians have paid heavy sacrifices within the last couple of decades in campaign against terrorists. They put their lives at stake to advocate democratic principles and human rights discourse. Lately, however, Afghan people lost their hope and trust in coalition forces.

To one's unmitigated chagrin, the recent tragic findings about civilian torture and death did not raise eyebrows of a number of states which had changed the narrative of "war on terror" to "protection of human rights," claiming to be the advocates of human rights and humanitarian law. Ironically, NATO member countries have remained silent about this egregious misconduct.

Meanwhile, Canberra is unwilling to explain the violence and media outlets in Australia maintain that police investigations might take years before possible criminal trials. That is to say, Australian authorities and local media coverage of the revelations have adopted a defensive tone as officials, along with political pundits, try to show the war crime and misconduct were only done by a few "bad apples." They say it is similar to some American soldiers tortured and killed Iraqi individuals at Abu Ghraib prison. Australia's media coverage did not reflect the feelings of the Afghan people or concern itself with the victims either.

Earlier, the Trump administration imposed sanctions against International Criminal Court (ICC) employees who investigated suspected war crimes in Afghanistan by American soldiers. The ICC called the sanctions "unprecedented" and accused the White House of attempting to "interfere with the rule of law and Court's judicial proceedings."

I vividly remember the report about two American soldiers, Jeremy Morlock and Andrew Holmes, who killed a 15-year-old civilian boy in Kandahar province of Afghanistan in 2010 and celebrated their kill by posing for the camera with the boy's bloody and half-naked body. Such stories, which are mostly seen only in horror movies, occurred in Afghanistan. The perpetrators have to stand trial. With this in mind, NATO member states, including the US, have to facilitate investigations of war crimes in Afghanistan so as to support human rights, as they claim to be staunch supporters of laws that protect humanity.

It is hoped that the Australia's investigations of war crimes will be a step forward for justice and that the war criminals will be prosecuted accordingly. The US and Britain also should probe war crimes by their soldiers in Afghanistan, and bring those criminals to justice.

Since all nations live in a global village, the violation of human rights in any part of the world is an outrage to the collective conscience of humanity. Therefore, regional and global states - be they China, Russia, Iran, etc. - are entitled to show their concerns over the violation of human rights and push for justice. Afghans expect that all countries, including NATO member states, to stand by them and advocate their rights and liberties. To put it succinctly, advocating human rights and dignity should not be selective. States should air their concerns and push for justice if one's rights are violated in any corner of the world and by any individual or nation.

Overall, the findings about the misconduct of Australian soldiers - which violates the International Humanitarian Law and Universal Declaration of Human Rights - are shocking and hurt the feelings of Afghan people to a great extent. Generally speaking, offering an apology is unlikely to mitigate the pain of war victims or mollify the people. The war criminals should be prosecuted under the watch of the international community.

It should be noted that if NATO member countries genuinely seek to institutionalize human rights in Afghanistan, they have to facilitate probing war crimes in the country by the ICC. Further, the rights and dignity of Afghan civilians should no more be violated under the term "war on terror."

Regional and global states in general and ICC in particular have to put their weight behind investigations of war crimes in Afghanistan so that justice can be fulfilled.


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China holds stronger position in global trade despite COVID-19: Fortune magazine
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WASHINGTON -- China has pulled ahead in global trade despite disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, as trade data indicated the country's recovery from the pandemic, Fortune magazine said Wednesday.

China's foreign trade expanded 7.8 percent year on year last month, with exports jumping 14.9 percent year on year in yuan terms, the Chinese General Administration of Customs said Monday.

"China's economy is in the midst of an impressive recovery" from the global health crisis, with third-quarter GDP growth coming in at nearly 5 percent, the Fortune article said.

Meanwhile, China's export boom also reflected "the impact of lockdowns on Western economies, which are producing and exporting less as a result -- and relying more on foreign imports," it said.

The US trade deficits with China continue to rise, while China is importing more American goods than before, Fortune said.


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Forum focuses on global tourism revival
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Innovation and global collaboration are crucial to reviving and reshaping the travel and tourism industry in the post pandemic-era, government and industry leaders said on Wednesday.

 

Key speakers at the Global Tourism Economy Forum 2020 in Macao said that promoting safe, seamless and secure travel and restoring travelers' confidence will be the key to rebuilding an industry hit hard by widespread border closures amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Global Tourism Economy Forum Chairman Ho Hau-wah, who also is vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said the "sudden and unexpected "COVID-19 outbreak has brought huge global challenges, but the destiny of all human beings is "closely connected".

As such, everyone must strengthen cooperation and coordination, face threats and challenges with collective efforts, and "make new advances amid changes", Ho said.

Zurab Pololikashvili, secretary-general of the World Tourism Organization, said all stakeholders need to "work smarter and not only just harder", adding that international collaboration should also be complemented by the use of technology and innovation.

"New technology can accelerate the return of safe and seamless travel…(and) enhance travel confidence. Innovation can also ensure that the benefits that tourism offers are felt more widely and fairly, Pololikashvili said in his keynote address.

Hu Heping, Chinese minister of culture and tourism and the GTEF's honorary chairman, said the world should deepen cooperation in international tourism while adhering to the principle of mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.

China is "willing to enhance communication and cooperation with tourism departments and organizations of different countries, in order to create opportunities in openness, tackle challenges through cooperation, and contribute more to the high-quality development of the international tourism industry," Hu said.

Gao Yunlong, vice-chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, said players in the travel and tourism industry need to adopt "digitally driven, internet-based and smart growth" to transform the industry.

Gao, who also serves as chairman of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce and is honorary chairman of the Global Tourism Economy Forum, said that in China, the tourism industry has shown "strong willingness and capability in innovation".

According to a joint report by the World Tourism Organization and the Macao-based Global Tourism Economy Research Centre, in the first six months of 2020 alone, international tourist arrivals fell by 440 million, which translated into a loss of around $460 billion in revenues.

Ahmed Al-Khateeb, Saudi Arabia's minister of tourism, noted how the decline in tourist arrivals has dented the global economy and resulted in the layoffs of millions of workers.

He said the tourism industry is a "unique driver of economic and social value". Citing data from the World Travel and Tourism Council, Al-Khateeb said the industry contributes 10 percent to the global economy and employs more than 300 million people worldwide.

Gloria Guevara, the World Travel and Tourism Council's president and CEO, as well as honorary GTEF chairman, said recovering those lost jobs will entail coordinated testing programs and protocols at departure points to encourage people to travel again.

Dowson Tong, senior executive vice-president of Chinese technology giant Tencent, said people are "most innovative when facing tough challenges".

In his special presentation on how to leverage digital technology to enhance the travel experience, Tong said businesses need to adapt to changing consumer behavior.

"A new normal will arise after the pandemic because travelers will think differently and behave differently," he said.

Among the panel discussions, some of which were online and some offline, a special session of the China Daily Asian Leadership Roundtable, featuring six speakers and chaired by Pansy Ho, vice-chair and secretary-general of the GETF, explored solidarity in reshaping the tourism economy.

Contact the writers at prime@chinadailyapac.com


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Chinese envoy calls for efforts for healthy development of China-India relations
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NEW DELHI -- Chinese Ambassador to India Sun Weidong has called for efforts to put China-India relations on the track of healthy and stable development.

Delivering a speech at the opening ceremony of "Beautiful India Beautiful China" Online Photo Exhibition in Beijing on Tuesday, the ambassador via video link said that COVID-19 has made countries and peoples in the world deeply feel that mankind is a community with a shared future.

"We should follow the guidance of the two leaders, redouble our efforts to meet each other halfway, strengthen dialogue and exchanges, and overcome difficulties and challenges, in order to put China-India relations on the track of healthy and stable development," he said.

"The pandemic cannot change our people's aspiration for a better life, nor can it interrupt the general trend of exchanges and mutual learning between us," he said.

"A picture is worth a thousand words," Sun said, adding that the photo exhibition presents the two peoples with a beautiful landscape of the splendid symbiosis of the two civilizations.

"It also allows us to look at China-India relations from a broader historical perspective, and draw inspirations from it," he added.

Sun said the four most important inspirations are friendly cooperation, which is the mainstream, cultural and people-to-people exchanges as the foundation, mutual learning as the driving force, as well as beautiful ecology, which is the wealth.

This exhibition, supported by the Chinese Embassy in India and hosted by China Pictorial, is one of the series of celebrations for the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and India.

The online exhibition, which lasts for 3 months, adopts the "Picture + Video + Physical Object + O2O Interaction" model, using a combined display system of pictures, text and video which are available for audiences on mobile phones, computers and social media.


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Highway helps build careers and countries
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// Work on BRI link between China and Laos puts opportunities on fast track //

It's been a remarkable transformation for a Laotian graduate fresh out of college to a career as a fully fledged professional translator in just two years. That's the path taken by A Lin, now 28, thanks to opportunities arising from a China-backed construction project in his country.

For someone at the start of a career, his first job has been different from the openings that other young Laotians seek out. He was working on the first phase of the China-Laos expressway, also known as the Vientiane-Vangvieng highway, which has now been completed. Preparations are underway for its imminent opening.

The China-Laos expressway stretches from the Laotian capital Vientiane to the border town of Boten, about 440 kilometers away. Chinese technical construction and operating standards have been used on the project, and are being implemented in four phases.

Construction on the Vientiane-Vangvieng section of the expressway－a key part of the Belt and Road Initiative－began on Dec 30,2018. The works were undertaken by Yunnan Construction and Investment Holding Group, or YCIH, which is also an investor in the project. When it opens it will become the first expressway in the country.

Built at a cost of 8.9 billion yuan ($1.3 billion), the 111-km section will better connect the two cities in Laos, boosting the prospects for exchanges between people in dramatically improving their transport options.

"It used to take locals in Vangvieng at least four hours to get to Vientiane, and the new highway will cut that to just one and a half hours," said Li Hongjie, the manager of the project.

For locals, what the project brings is far more than convenience. More than 2,400 of them have worked on the highway's construction, about half of the total work force.

Apart from those directly involved in construction, local people also work as translators and interpreters, as with A Lin.

He graduated from Guangxi University for Nationalities in 2018 and joined YCIH in October that year when the project was in the preparation stage.

// Role seen as a bridge //

"I'm really happy with the way things have gone," said A Lin, describing himself as a bridge between the Chinese company and his compatriots.

"In just two years I've advanced from a greenhorn college student with little idea about a career to becoming a skilled translator.

"My family gave me money every month when I was in the college, but now I can support them."

Of the local employees, more than 80 percent are on-site builders. To better familiarize and equip Laotians with building technology, the company set up a training program before construction work began.

Li said: "For example, we (experienced Chinese engineers) would make a sample with building materials on site and then discuss with local workers on how to perfect it to meet construction standards."

With that training under their belts, local construction workers have been able to expand their technical capabilities and hone their skills.

"Laotians have been critical to the highway's construction," Li said. "What they have done has been invaluable."

Many local contractors, including equipment leaseholders and material suppliers, have also benefited from the project. And, for most of them, it is the first time that they have been involved in building a road to such demanding standards.

A local contractor responsible for building about five kilometers of roadbed said the company's engineering and construction techniques have improved thanks to the close collaboration with YCIH.

As with businesses the world over, YCIH has had to grapple with the consequences of the pandemic－the first of these being when construction was disrupted after the coronavirus appeared early this year.

The company quickly introduced a series of anti-epidemic measures. By July more than 200 construction managers had returned to Laos on chartered flights, guaranteeing the project was not hampered unduly by the pandemic.

In addition, the company helped Laotians fight the outbreak there. On April 28, it donated 500 million Laotian kip (about $54,000) to help the country combat the pandemic.