Trials in Brazil show the Chinese COVID-19 vaccine Sinovac to be 50.38% effective, nearly 30 percentage points below the initial results released last week. The Instituto Butantan, the São Paulo-based research institute responsible for developing the vaccine and conducting trials in the country, announced last week the vaccine had a 78% overall efficacy, with total protection against severe cases.
The World Health Organization (WHO) will send experts to China on Thursday and work with Chinese peers to investigate the origin of COVID-19, said China's National Health Commission (NHC).
Taiwan has released a new passport and lawmakers and officials were among the people who lined up early to apply for the redesigned document, which prominently displays the word “Taiwan,” while minimizing the English name “Republic of China” (ROC).
Brazil has reduced import taxes and tariffs to zero for products used to combat Covid-19, including syringes and needles classified under codes 9018.31.11, 9018.31.19, 9018.31.90, 9018.32.19, and 9018.39.10 of the Mercosur Common Nomenclature. The products are included in the list of temporary tariff reductions covered by Gecex (Executive Management Committee of the Chamber of Foreign Trade), Resolution 17, from 17 March 2020.
Sea freight on the China-Brazil route has soared and reached an unprecedented US$ 10,000 per TEU, according to importers and shipping companies operating in the port of Santos.
A coronavirus vaccine developed by China's Sinovac Biotech was 78% effective in a late-stage Brazilian trial with no severe COVID-19 cases, researchers said on Thursday, although a lack of data details stirred calls for more transparency.
China compared on Thursday the storming of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump with last year's often-violent pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, but noted that no one had died when demonstrators took over the Parliament of Hong Kong.
Donald Trump's supporters stormed the US Capitol on Wednesday in an attempt to stop Joe Biden from being certified the winner. Although the situation was quickly brought under control, politicians and public opinion condemned the riots, and Congress officially certified Biden's victory afterwards, the far-reaching implications of the incident may not be controllable.
The global economy is expected to expand 4% in 2021, with China's economy expected to expand by 7.9% this year, World Bank said on Tuesday, assuming an initial COVID-19 vaccine rollout becomes widespread throughout the year.
China increased its import quota for Australian wool from 36,465 tons last year to 38,288 tons for 2021, according to a newly released official statement. The increase came at a time when China and Australia relations are going through a rough patch.