China

BEIJING (AP) — Only a few people strolled the pedestrian-only streets Sunday in central Beijing’s historic Qianmen district, normally an area that would be bustling with tourists on what was a national holiday and a sunny spring day.

Many Chinese marked a quiet May Day this year as the government’s “zero-COVID” approach restricts travel and enforces lockdowns in multiple cities. Millions remain restricted to their buildings or compounds in Shanghai, China’s largest city, under a lockdown that has only slightly eased.

BEIJING (AP) — A woman was rescued Sunday from the rubble of a building in central China more than 50 hours after it collapsed, leaving dozens trapped or missing, state media said.

Separately, police arrested nine people including the building owner on suspicion of causing a major liability accident, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

NANTONG, Jiangsu, April 30 (Xinhua) -- China successfully sent five satellites into planned orbit from a platform in the East China Sea at 11:30 a.m. Saturday (Beijing Time).

The Jilin-1 Gaofen series satellites were launched by a Long March-11 carrier rocket and have successfully entered their planned orbit.

They will provide commercial remote sensing data services for sectors including land resource survey, urban planning and disaster monitoring.

The launch marked the 418th flight mission of the Long March series carrier rockets. 

BEIJING (AP) — China’s manufacturing activity fell to a six-month low in April as lockdowns continued in Shanghai and other manufacturing hubs in an attempt to stem COVID-19 outbreaks, according to a survey released Saturday.

The monthly purchasing managers’ index, released by China’s National Bureau of Statistics, fell to 47.4 in April, down from 49.5 in March on a 100-point scale. Numbers below 50 show activity contracting.

The domestic COVID-19 outbreaks have impacted China’s factory activities and market demand, said the bureau’s statistician Zhao Qinghe.

BEIJING (AP) — Restaurants in Beijing have been ordered to close dine-in services over the May holidays as the Chinese capital grapples with a COVID-19 outbreak.

Authorities said at a news conference Saturday that dining in restaurants has become an infection risk, citing virus transmissions between diners and staff.

Restaurants have been ordered to only provide takeout services from Sunday to Wednesday, during China’s Labor Day holidays.

Beijing began mass testing millions of residents earlier this week as it scrambled to stamp out a growing COVID-19 outbreak.

BEIJING, April 29 (Xinhua) -- In the face of outbreaks caused by the more infectious Omicron variant of COVID-19, a relaxation of epidemic control and prevention is not an option for China, said top Chinese epidemiologist Liang Wannian on Friday.

Liang noted at a press conference that the country is yet to get its elderly and underage population fully vaccinated. In the meantime, different parts of the country face discrepancies in medical resources.

BEIJING (AP) — Classes suspended. Buildings and communities sealed off. Mass testing of residents. A rush to stock up on food, just in case.

Beijing, China’s sprawling capital, is starting to resemble other Chinese cities grappling with the latest wave of the omicron variant of the coronavirus.

BEIJING, Apr 28 (APP): Deputy Secretary General of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Muratbek Azymbakiyev attended the opening ceremony of the spring-time session of the International Financial Forum New Landscapes: Global Economic Development Prospects and Challenges.

In his welcoming speech, Azymbakiyev noted that the SCO prioritized the cost-effective implementation of long-term trade and economic programmes, according to SCO Secretariat here on Thursday.

BEIJING, Apr 28 (APP): With the approaching of the 7th Space Day of China, the 5th Anniversary Conference of the International Forum on Aerospace Education and Belt and Road Aerospace Innovation Alliance (BRAIA) successfully concluded online recently in China.

BEIJING (AP) — Beijing shifted more classes online Thursday in a further tightening of COVID-19 restrictions, as China’s capital seeks to prevent a wider outbreak.

The city of 21 million has already ordered three rounds of mass testing this week for the virus, with the third due to take place on Friday, and closed down some communities where cases were found.