China

In hopes of getting a better sense of which SARS-CoV-2 variants might be coming into the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently expanded its voluntary testing of some passengers exiting from international flights at certain airports.

China's COVID surge prompts CDC to expand a hunt for new variants among air travelers

7:01am January 14, 2023

by Rob Stein

It would make more sense to screen a plane's wastewater to look for new variants than to screen individual passenger volunteers, some researchers say. Others say any information is helpful.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian speaks at the daily media briefing in Beijing on April 8, 2020. This week, Zhao was assigned a new job: deputy director of the ministry's Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs — a lateral move to an obscure post that takes Zhao out of the spotlight.

World News

A 'wolf warrior' is sidelined, as China softens its approach on the world stage

8:02am January 12, 2023

by John Ruwitch

Zhao Lijian, a foreign ministry spokesman known for his combative approach, was reassigned. The change is mostly tactical, but analysts see a window of opportunity to improve China-U.S. relations.

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Students hold up placards including blank white sheets of paper on the campus of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, in solidarity with protests held on the mainland over Beijing's COVID-19 restrictions, on Nov. 28.

World News

China's authorities are quietly rounding up people who protested against COVID rules

3:43pm January 11, 2023

by Emily Feng

Residents held vigils to commemorate people who have died in lockdown. Several have been arrested.

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Travelers wearing face masks with their luggage head to the immigration counter at the departure hall at Lok Ma Chau station following the reopening of crossing border with mainland China, in Hong Kong, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023.

World News

China has reopened its borders to tourists after three years of COVID-19 closure

9:49am January 08, 2023

by The Associated Press

The ability of residents Hong Kong to cross into mainland is one of the most visible signs of China's easing of border restrictions, with travelers arriving no longer required to undergo quarantines.

Naina Agrahari, 24, with her newborn son, Vehant Singh, at her mother's home in northern Mumbai.

Health & Safety

This baby could push India past China to become the world's most populous country

5:48am January 04, 2023

by Lauren Frayer

Any day now, the United Nations will declare India's population the largest in the world. The country's next generation is poised to be healthier, more literate — and more female — than ever before.

An older adult receives a COVID-19 vaccine at a temporary vaccination site on Dec. 7 in Chongqing, China. Concerns about effectiveness and safety have led to uncertainty about the COVID vaccine, notably among older citizens, whose vaccination rate is relatively low.

China's COVID vaccines: Do the jabs do the job?

7:43pm December 31, 2022

by Michaeleen Doucleff

As case counts surge in China, rumors circulate about the effectiveness and safety of the made-in-China vaccines in use there. Here's what we know about CoronaVac and Sinopharm.

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Chinese Ambassador to the US Qin Gang visits the headquarters of Sany America, a Chinese excavator and construction-equipment manufacturer, in Peachtree City, GA on on May 12.

World News

China's new foreign minister will be Qin Gang, the current ambassador to Washington

2:13pm December 30, 2022

by Vincent Ni

China's diplomacy will offer "Chinese wisdom, Chinese initiatives and Chinese strength," Qin said in his first statement as foreign minister. He is seen as one of Xi Jinping's trusted aides.

Inbound travelers wait for hours to board buses to leave for quarantine hotels and facilities from Guangzhou Baiyun Airport in southern China's Guangdong province on Dec. 25.

World News

U.S. will require travelers from China to show negative COVID test before flight

4:39pm December 28, 2022

by Ashley Ahn

In announcing the step, the CDC pointed to the surge in COVID-19 cases in China. The measure will go into effect on Jan. 5 for all passengers over the age of 2.

Passengers prepare to board a flight at the airport in north-central China's Jiangxi province on Nov. 1, 2022.

World News

China says it will resume issuing passports and visas as virus curbs ease

4:42am December 28, 2022

by The Associated Press

China says it will resume issuing ordinary visas and passports, setting up a potential flood of millions of Chinese going abroad for next month's Lunar New Year holiday.

A passenger checks her phone as an Air China passenger jet taxis past at the Beijing Capital International airport on Oct. 29. China will drop a COVID-19 quarantine requirement for passengers arriving from abroad starting Jan. 8.

China will end its COVID-19 quarantine requirement for incoming passengers

3:17pm December 26, 2022

by The Associated Press

The scrapping of the quarantine requirement starting Jan. 8 is a major step toward reopening travel with the rest of the world, which the government severely curtailed in a bid to keep the virus out.