Economic
China food security: Syngenta buyout shows Beijing’s haste to plug technology gap with foreign expertise
Switzerland-based Syngenta was bought for US$43 billion by state-backed China National Chemical Corp, or Chem China, in 2017. Though the deal came under scrutiny in the United States and Europe at the time, constraints on Chinese firms buying foreign companies have tightened since then. The sale of Syngenta is still the country’s largest foreign takeover to date. The firm develops, produces and commercialises a wide range of seeds, as well as crop protection and crop nutrition products, along with the provision of modern agricultural services. The company aims to help farmers increase their yields and adopt sustainable practices. It is exactly this type of cutting-edge biotechnology that China is so keen to harness to make up ground with more advanced economies. The Central Economic Work Conference, which set economic policy priorities for 2021, said in December the country “must strive for “technological breakthroughs in seeds” and “battle to turn the seed industry around”. Concerns about food supply and an increasingly unfriendly external environment have caused Beijing to place greater emphasis on grain security and self-sufficiency in staple crops to feed its population of 1.4 billion.
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80% of Japan's 47 prefectures have problems with solar power plants
Solar energy, expected to replace nuclear power as a main source of electricity, has turned into a big headache across Japan, as solar power stations have proven to be eyesores and their impact on the environment destructive. A Mainichi Shimbun survey found that of all 47 prefectures in Japan, 80% have problems with solar power energy in one way or another. Known as the "sunny land" because of its many fair-weather days, the western Japan prefecture of Okayama is highly suited to solar power generation. Upon entering the city of Akaiwa -- renowned for its white peaches -- the profusion of solar panels makes the gentle slopes of the mountains look like they've been coated in black "sumi" ink. Wholesale oil distribution giant Idemitsu Kosan Co. began operating a mega solar power plant in Akaiwa in April 2021. A total of 320,000 solar panels cover an area of 82 hectares, and pump out 65 million kilowatt-hours per year. According to residents, there were landslides in 2018 and 2020 on the solar panel-covered slopes. "My rice paddies were buried in sand and mud," a local 62-year-old farmer told the Mainichi Shimbun.
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European Business Leaders Want a Stronger Hand With China, Not Decoupling
A powerful European business lobby group called on European Union politicians to push back harder against China’s state capitalism but not to lock out Chinese businesses, as advocated by some leaders who are following the U.S.’s lead on limiting commercial ties to China. Members of the European Round Table for Industry, or ERT, a trade group of almost 60 chief executives and chairpersons of major Europe-based multinationals, on July 05 called on EU leaders to push for better business terms with China and not to turn away, despite some leaders’ growing misgivings about Beijing and amid improving ties with Washington. The business leaders fear calls for decoupling from China, similar to ones in the U.S. “We have to make this work,” ERT member Jacob Wallenberg said of commercial relations between China and the West. Mr. Wallenberg, who is chairman of Swedish holding company Investor AB and deputy chairman of telecommunications giant Ericsson AB, said China has begun opening its banking, insurance and other sectors under EU and U.S. pressure, and such pressure could improve the West’s business position with China.
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Global aviation center shifting to China: IATA official
A senior executive from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said the global center of the aviation industry is shifting to China, given the recovery speed of China amid the epidemic. The focus of the aviation industry shifted from the US in the 1960s to eastern countries, and the center was close to the Middle East before the epidemic, and now we can see that the center of global aviation is moving from the Middle East to China, Willie Walsh, IATA's Director General, said in an online conference on June 25. "The aviation center of gravity is definitely moving east, and it has accelerated through this crisis," he said. He noted that the domestic air travel market in China is recovering much faster than the international market, as China is one of the world's largest domestic air travel markets. In terms of revenue passenger kilometers, China's air travel accounts for about 20 percent of the global total.
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China’s cyberspace administration launches probe into ride-hailing giant Didi, two days after mega IPO
China’s internet regulator said it has stopped Didi Chuxing from registering new users, two days after the country’s dominant ride-hailing service completed the largest initial public offering (IPO) by a Chinese company this year in New York. “In order to prevent risks regarding national data security, to maintain national security, and protect the public interest, Didi is now under a cybersecurity review based on the National Security Law, Cybersecurity Law and Measures for Cybersecurity Review,” the country’s cybersecurity review office said in a statement published on July 02, without elaborating. Didi’s response was swift. “Didi will fully cooperate with the relevant government authority during the review,” it said on a statement on July 02. “We plan to conduct a comprehensive examination of cybersecurity risks, and continuously improve our cybersecurity systems and technology capacities.” The ride-hailing giant raised US $4.4 billion in a US initial public offering on June 30 in an upsized sale that valued the company at about US$70 billion.
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Bangladesh scraps coal-fired power plants for sustainability
Bangladesh announced July 04 that it has scrapped at least 10 major coal-fired power plants as it seeks to scale up its power generation from renewable energy sources. Nasrul Hamid, state minister for power and energy, said the decision was taken in light of technological changes. "By 2041, there is a plan to generate 40 percent of power from renewable energy," the ministry of energy and power said. The scrapped power plants would have accounted for 8,451 megawatts of power and included ambitious multi-billion dollar projects unveiled by the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina since she took office in January 2009. The minister said they included a massive 1,320-megawatt plant on the ecologically fragile Maheshkhali Island and a 1,200-megawatt project set to be constructed by a Bangladeshi-Japanese joint venture. The announcement is seen as a victory for green activists who have staged a series of protests against the coal-fired plants, saying they would cause irreparable damage to the country's fragile ecology. Sharif Jamil, secretary of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon, the country's main environmental group, said they were happy with the announcement.
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China and India join deal on global minimum corporate tax of 15%
Negotiators from 130 nations and territories on July 01 reached a broad agreement on corporate taxation meant to halt a race to the bottom in tax rates and pin down borderless tech giants. The proposed plan calls for a minimum tax rate of at least 15%, an amount pushed for by U.S. President Joe Biden's administration. At the same time, a new digital tax would target about 100 tech companies that make at least 20 billion Euros ($23.7 billion) in revenue with a profit margin of 10%. A final agreement by leaders this year would mark a turning point away from a trend of falling tax burdens on multinationals. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, made up of mostly advanced economies, on July 01 presented the agreement after working-level talks. The U.S., China and India -- which has rolled out its own digital tax -- were part of the consensus. The U.S. president said in a White House statement the agreement would force multinational corporations to pay "their fair share" in taxes and prevent them from hiding assets in offshore havens.
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Shenzhen tamps down wages with eye on China's manufacturing exodus
The Chinese city of Shenzhen will overhaul its rules on worker pay for the first time in 17 years, looking to curb surging labour costs and stem the exodus of companies to cheaper markets in Southeast Asia and elsewhere. A bustling technology hub, Shenzhen's plan boils down to three main components -- reducing overtime pay for irregular workers, tightening bonus rules and extending deadlines for paying employees. The Shenzhen government has explained that supporting businesses serves workers' interests in the medium to long term. Employment in China still has yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels, and Shenzhen hopes cutting wages could encourage hiring. Shenzhen currently requires triple pay for workers who show up on statutory holidays, like the Lunar New Year. Under revisions to the local ordinance on wages, which the Municipal People's Congress began deliberating at the end of May, holidays would pay the same as regular weekdays. Employers also issue bonuses in proportion to how long employees worked there each year, even if they quit partway through. The Shenzhen proposal will allow companies to set their own guidelines on bonus payments, and potentially not pay workers who were only there short-term.
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Straws, coffee cups & more outlawed as EU single-use plastics ban goes into force
Ten single-use plastic items blamed for littered European beaches are banned in the EU starting July 03. Plastic straws, cutlery, cotton bud sticks, plates, stirrers, and balloon sticks are among the blacklisted products. The sale of polystyrene drink and food containers has also been banned. All types of oxo-degradable plastic bags were outlawed too, despite being marketed as biodegradable items. Brussels says the micro-plastics that they dissolve into remain in the environment for too long. Single-use plastics (SUPs) are to be replaced by their counterparts made from cellulose, bamboo, and other biodegradable materials. Alongside fishing gear, SUPs, which are primarily produced from fossil fuel-based chemicals, represent 70% of all marine litter in the EU. And the bloc’s data indicates that 85% of European beaches now have 20 or more items of litter for every 100 meters of coastline. A host of other single-use plastic items have also faced restrictions under the EU’s directive. Producers of plastic bags, bottles, wrappers, tobacco filters, wet wipes, and other single-use plastic products would have to pay for the clean-up necessitated by these products and awareness campaigns on the harm they do to the environment.
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OPEC+ calls off meeting as UAE, Saudi spat continues
OPEC+ ministers called off oil output talks on July 05 after clashing last week when the United Arab Emirates balked at a proposed eight-month extension to output curbs. Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman on July 04 called for “compromise and rationality” to secure a deal after two days of failed discussions last week. The failure of the talks, sources said, means an expected increase in output from August will not take place – and this helped drive up international benchmark Brent oil, which was trading one percent higher at $76.95 a barrel. Oil prices have already prompted concerns about inflation derailing a global recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. OPEC+ ministers agreed to record output cuts of almost 10 million barrels per day (bpd) last year as the pandemic hit. They have been gradually relaxed and stand at about 5.8 million bpd. The UAE, according to sources, on July 02 went along with Saudi Arabia and other OPEC+ members on a proposal to raise output in stages by about 2 million bpd from August to December but rejected extending remaining cuts to the end of 2022 from a current end date of April.
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Strategic
CCP century marked by economic gains and global distrust
The CCP, which boasts over 95 million members, is credited with lifting millions out of poverty during the country's rise to become the world's second-largest economy and keeping China's COVID-19 epidemic under control after the virus was originally discovered in Wuhan. President Xi Jinping, who heads the CCP as its general secretary, will lead the celebrations on July 01 -- the first of two centennials. The second is the 100th anniversary of the republic in 2049, a year by which Xi envisions China to be "modern, prosperous and strong," and the world's most powerful economy. China’s economic rise was built on embracing a socialist market economy, and has emboldened Xi, who is now seeking to exert greater influence on the international stage. But the CCP's top-down governance has led to accusations of excessive use of advanced digital and surveillance technology, restrictions on personal freedom, human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslim minorities in the country's western Xinjiang Province, walking back certain freedoms under the "one country, two system" policy in Hong Kong, and growing hostility against Taiwan.
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Taiwan calls for dialogue as Chinese Communist Party marks centenary
Taiwan urged China to end its authoritarian rule and start talks with the self-ruled democratic island as the Chinese Communist Party celebrated its 100th anniversary on July 01. The Mainland Affairs Council, Taiwan's top government agency handling China policy, called on the Beijing authorities to face up to the realities of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait and talk with the current government in Taipei. "Abandon your political precondition and military intimidation," it said. "Consider our call for peace, parity, democracy and dialogue, so the relationship between the two sides could move forward in a positive and sustainable direction." The council also urged Beijing to respect the public opinion of the 23 million people of Taiwan, who it said have long rejected the "one-China principle" and "1992 Consensus." The reference is to the tacit understanding, believed to have been reached in 1992 by Taiwan's then-ruling Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party that Taiwan and China are both a part of "one China," with each side free to interpret what that means.
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UN Security Council to confront growing threat of cyber attacks
The UN Security Council on June 29 is set to hold its first formal public meeting on cybersecurity, addressing the growing threat of hacks to countries' key infrastructure, an issue Joe Biden recently raised with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. At their summit earlier this month in Geneva, the US president set out red lines for Russia, which is often accused of being behind major hacks. "In the United Nations first committee, we already have agreed in 2015, which is six years ago, that we are refraining from malicious cyber activities against each other's critical infrastructures as UN member states," the diplomat said. June 29's meeting called by Estonia which heads the Council for the month of June and is a leader in the fight against hacking, is itself being held online, at a ministerial level. The Security Council has addressed the subject in the past, but only informally, both in public or behind closed doors. "It is a new issue and in the Security Council, as always, it is difficult to bring anything new" after 76 years of dealing with more traditional aspects of peace and security, a UN official added.
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No contact from Washington over latest ransom-ware attack, Kremlin says
Russia has not had any contact from the United States over a sophisticated ransom-ware attack that hit hundreds of American businesses and led to suspicions of Russian gang involvement, the Interfax news agency cited the Kremlin as saying on July 05.Security firm Huntress Labs said on July 02 it believed the Russia-linked REvil ransom-ware gang was to blame for the attack. President Joe Biden has directed U.S. intelligence agencies to investigate. "I have no information that any data was provided. No, no data was received," Interfax cited Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying. He said the Kremlin was not aware of the attack. Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to begin consultations on cybersecurity issues during a summit in Geneva on June 16, with Biden warning of consequences if ransom-ware attacks emanating from Russia continued to proliferate. Russia has repeatedly denied carrying out or tolerating cyber-attacks.
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Putin OKs revised Russian national security strategy
Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved a revised version of Russia’s national security strategy that envisages “symmetrical and asymmetrical measures” in response to foreign states' “unfriendly actions that threaten the sovereignty and territorial integrity” of Russia. Putin signed a decree approving the strategy on July 02, according to the Kremlin website. The 44-page document was published July 03 on a government website and outlined Russia's national interests and priorities. It stated that “actions of some countries are aimed at instigating disintegration processes in the Commonwealth of Independent States in order to destroy Russia’s ties with its traditional allies," and claimed that "a number of states call Russia a threat and even a military adversary.” Russia remains committed to using political and diplomatic means to resolve international and national conflicts, the document read. At the same time, Moscow “considers it legitimate to take symmetrical and asymmetric measures” to thwart and prevent “unfriendly actions" by foreign states that "threaten the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Russian Federation.”
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U.S. calls build-up of China's nuclear arsenal 'concerning'
The United States said on July 01 China's rapid build-up of its nuclear forces was concerning and called on Beijing to engage with it "on practical measures to reduce the risks of destabilizing arms races." The build-up had become more difficult for China to hide and it appeared it was deviating from decades of nuclear strategy based around minimal deterrence, State Department spokesperson Ned Price told a regular news briefing. Price was responding to a question about a report in the Washington Post that said China had begun constructing more than 100 new missile silos in a desert area in the western part of the country. "These reports and other developments suggest that the PRC's nuclear arsenal will grow more quickly, and to a higher level than perhaps previously anticipated," Price said using the acronym for the People's Republic of China. "This buildup is concerning. It raises questions about the PRC's intent. And for us, it reinforces the importance of pursuing practical measures to reduce nuclear risks," he said. "We encourage Beijing to engage with us on practical measures to reduce the risks of destabilizing arms races - potentially destabilizing tensions."
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U.S. looks into having 3 Central Asian states take in at-risk Afghans -sources
The Biden administration is exploring having three Central Asian countries temporarily take in thousands of Afghans who worked with U.S. forces and face threats from the Taliban now that American troops are withdrawing after 20 years, three sources familiar with the matter said on July 02. They said Washington is in talks with Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan about letting in the at-risk Afghan citizens. Two of the sources were U.S. officials and all requested anonymity. The three sources said an agreement did not appear imminent with any of the countries. The decision to move at-risk Afghans risks inflaming a sense of crisis in Afghanistan, as fighting between U.S.-backed Afghan forces and the Taliban has surged in recent weeks, with the militants gaining control of large amounts of territory. Thousands of Afghan translators and interpreters face threats from the Taliban after working for two decades alongside the U.S. military. The United States announced plans last week to seek refuge for thousands of vulnerable Afghans in countries outside Afghanistan so their U.S. visa applications could be processed from safety, but Washington did not specify where they would go.
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Taliban Find New Revenues as They Seize Afghanistan’s U.S.-Built Border Gateway
The Taliban have gained a lucrative new source of income, taking over the main trade gateway into Tajikistan, and beginning to collect customs revenues, as some of Afghanistan’s neighbours tacitly cooperate with the insurgent group. The American-built Sher Khan Bandar crossing, north of the city of Kunduz fell to the Taliban on June 22 with 134 border guards and other Afghan government troops fleeing to neighbouring Tajikistan. Since then, the insurgents have seized most of the rest of Afghanistan’s border with Tajikistan. Nearly 1,000 Afghan troops sought refuge in Tajikistan on July 04 and July 05, surrendering the second principal crossing, Ishkashim. Instead of shutting down after the insurgent takeover, the Sher Khan Bandar complex has remained operational, with tacit understandings reached between the Taliban and Tajikistan, according to local traders. Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said the group had reached out to the governments of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan after taking over several border areas in June. “We informed all these governments and assured them that the routine work of the border, the customs, will be running as before,” Mr. Shaheen said in an interview.
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Kim's reshuffles serve to keep North Korea elite in line as crises mount
What may be the most significant reshuffle of top North Korean officials in years by leader Kim Jong Un serves as a warning to the ruling elite, analysts say, including those he accused this week of causing a "great crisis" with coronavirus lapses. Kim called a meeting of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea politburo on June 29 and berated some party executives' neglect of duty, including failing to implement long-term measures to fight the pandemic, state media reported. State media, often the only source of information on the workings of the secretive country, did not elaborate on the nature of the crisis. The gathering included the election of new politburo members and a secretary of the party's Central Committee, among other changes, though it was not clear if all the ousted officials, who were not identified, were being reprimanded because of the coronavirus lapses. Irregular political gatherings and personnel attrition in an authoritarian regime such as North Korea can foreshadow things like fundamental failure of the state apparatus or unsteady political transitions, he said.
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East-West rift over values as Slovenia assumes EU's presidency
Amid high tension between east and west over democratic values, the European Union's presidency passes on July 01 to Slovenia, led by a nationalist who has a history of crossing swords with the EU executive in debates over democracy. Prime Minister Janez Jansa, an admirer of former U.S. President Donald Trump and a blunt tweeter, clashed with Brussels over media freedoms in the run-up to the tiny former Yugoslav republic's six-month stint leading the 27-nation bloc. Jansa, 62, is also close to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose disagreements with Western Europe came to an ill-tempered head at a summit last week over a law that bans schools from using materials seen as promoting homosexuality. Slovenia's priorities for its Presidency of the Council of the EU include bolstering Europe's post-pandemic recovery, and its resilience, strategic autonomy and rule of law. But its turn at the helm from July 1 - setting the agenda of inter-government meetings and representing the EU in some international forums - may also put a spotlight on the growing rift within the bloc over its common values.
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Suga 'humbly accepts' failure of LDP to win majority in Tokyo assembly
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said July 05 he "humbly accepts" the failure of his Liberal Democratic Party and its ally Komeito to win a majority of seats in the Tokyo metropolitan assembly in the previous day's election. The vote had been closely watched as a bellwether for how Japan's ruling coalition will fare in the general election, which must be held by the fall."I humbly accept the fact that we could not win a majority as promised," Suga told reporters at his office. The premier has suggested he will dissolve the House of Representatives, the more powerful chamber of the bicameral parliament, for a general election before his term as LDP leader ends in September. The current four-year terms of lower house members expire on Oct 21.But the results of the assembly election are sure to be a confidence-shaker for Suga, whose public support has already fallen amid dissatisfaction with his COVID-19 response and concerns over going ahead with the Tokyo Olympics, set to begin on July 23. The LDP did manage to displace Tomin First no Kai, the regional party founded by Tokyo Gov Yuriko Koike, as the largest force in the assembly.
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US hits 17 nations for human trafficking, downgrades Malaysia
The Biden administration on July 01 designated 17 countries as not doing enough to combat human trafficking and warned them of potential U.S. sanctions. The administration also called out several U.S. allies and friends, including Israel, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal and Turkey, for backsliding in their efforts. The designations came in the State Department's annual "Trafficking in Persons" report, which cited the coronavirus pandemic as a cause for a surge in human slavery between 2020 and 2021. The report covering 188 nations and territories said the outbreak had put millions more people at risk for exploitation and distracted some governments from efforts to stem human trafficking. The report classified the 17 mostly authoritarian nations as "Tier 3" for failing to meet minimal standards to stop what Secretary of State Antony Blinken called an "inhumane cycle of discrimination and injustices." The designation means that without a presidential waiver those countries could lose some U.S. assistance, although decisions on such penalties will not be made until later this year.
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China's control over Sri Lankan infrastructure reignites fears
As China steadily expands its footprint across the island, China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), a subsidiary of state-owned China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), won a new development project last month when the government approved CHEC's proposal for a 17-km elevated highway on the outskirts of Colombo. But the terms of the deal allow CHEC to own the highway, recover the principal, earn profits, and then after 18 years -- finally -- hand it over to the Sri Lankan government, making CHEC the first foreign company to own a highway in Sri Lanka. Opposition parliamentarian Harsha De Silva highlighted that the project has been in the pipeline for several years, and the previous government also wanted to construct it, but in a public-private partnership as the original estimate was around $1 billion. "In 2016, when the government [led by the current opposition] was looking for an investor, a feasibility study indicated that the project [could not] be done on a purely build, operate and transfer (BOT) basis, which CHEC has come forward to do," he told Nikkei Asia. De Silva, an economist by profession, also said that an investor would not be able to recover their original investment plus a reasonable profit by just collecting tolls on a 17-km highway.
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Israel’s Coalition Government Agrees to Temporarily Evacuate Divisive West Bank Settlement
Israel’s new government reached a deal with leaders of an unauthorized settlement in the occupied West Bank that would see them evacuate the site, a temporary solution for an issue that has sharply divided the country’s ruling coalition. Under a deal between the government and residents of the outpost, the settlers will leave the site by July 02 afternoon, according to a statement released by cabinet Secretary Shalom Shlomo. The government in return has promised to legalize the settlement in the future if the land is found not to belong to Palestinians. The Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the West Bank, condemned the deal and said it would fight it through legal means. “It reveals the true face of the [Bennett] government,” the PA’s foreign ministry said. The compromise deal eases immediate pressure on a governing coalition made up of eight parties from across the political spectrum, including an independent Arab party for the first time. The deal placates Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s right-wing base that favours building settlements in the West Bank. At the same time, it allows his left-wing coalition partners to say that the site has been evacuated and gives them time to prove the land belongs to Palestinians.
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Italy calls for African task force to tackle growing ISIL threat
Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio has said he wants to set up an international task force to counter the threat posed by the spread of ISIL (ISIS)-affiliated groups across the African continent. Co-chairing a meeting on July 02 of the global coalition fighting ISIL alongside US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Di Maio said there are fears that the group can “regain strength”. He also warned against the alliance letting down its guard, despite the fact the ISIL fighters had lost much of their territories in Iraq and Syria. “With the support of the USA and many other partners, I proposed the establishment of an Africa task force to identify and stop [ISIL]-related terrorist threats on the continent,” Di Maio told reporters, standing alongside Blinken. “We must step up the action undertaken by the coalition, not by shifting our focus but by increasing the regions in which we operate – not just the Middle East but Africa. Blinken said he supported the Italian initiative.
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Medical
Delta variant sweeps Asia, prompting curbs as vaccination remains tepid
The highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus is surging through Asia this week, with record numbers of infections in Australia and South Korea, prompting some countries to tighten curbs and others to hasten vaccination. The variant has spread to about 100 countries and the World Health Organisation warned recently that it could soon become the dominant form of the virus. It is also driving a spike in cases in Japan, casting a pall over this month's Olympic Games. On July 02, Australia's New South Wales state, its most populous, reported the biggest daily rise in new cases so far this year. Total cases in the state in the latest outbreak have topped 200, a majority caused by the Delta variant. Australia, like several other countries in Asia, has struggled to inoculate people as initial successes in containing the pandemic led to vaccine hesitancy, and manufacturers were slow to ship doses. Australia has fully vaccinated only 6% of its population, while Japan has vaccinated 12%. In South Korea, officials said on July 02 daily coronavirus cases topped 800, the highest in nearly six months, with vaccination below 10%.
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South Korean consortium to produce Russia’s Sputnik Light vaccine
Huons Global Co. Ltd. said on June 28 its South Korean consortium plans to begin production of a single-dose Sputnik Light COVID-19 vaccine from as early as September. The plan followed a request by the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which markets the vaccine, and production would take place along with Sputnik V vaccines the consortium also intended to make for the sovereign wealth fund, Huons said. The company said in April it would produce 100 million doses of Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine a month for export, as Moscow sought to increase production globally to meet rising demand. Huons said its consortium would begin producing sample batches of both Sputnik V and Light vaccines in August and would respond flexibly to meet demand from the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF). Huons said it was boosting production capacity and aimed to make 30 million doses by the end of this year.RDIF has a separate production deal with South Korea’s GL Rapha to make more than 150 million doses of the vaccine a year. South Korea has approved four vaccines so far, from AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna, but has not begun reviewing Sputnik V or Sputnik Light for approval.
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Indonesia ramps up oxygen output after dozens die amid scarcity
Indonesia has ordered oxygen makers to prioritise medical needs amid growing demand from COVID-19 patients, the government said on July 04, following more than 60 deaths in a hospital where supply of the life-saving gas was almost exhausted. The world's fourth most populous nation is battling one of Asia's worst coronavirus outbreaks, with July 03's 27,913 infections becoming the newest of many peaks during the last two weeks. In a statement, the Sardjito hospital on the island of Java said 63 patients died after it nearly ran out of oxygen over the period from July 03 until early on July 04, when fresh supplies arrived. A hospital spokesman could not confirm if all the dead had suffered from COVID-19, however. In response, the government was asking the gas industry to increase production of medical oxygen, said health ministry official Siti Nadia Tarmizi. "We also hope people don't stock up on oxygen," she added, referring to stockpiles that could have the effect of denying the gas to many.
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China’s vaccine dilemma laid bare with variant spread
China has reportedly inoculated mostly with one shot around 1.2 billion of its 1.3 billion-plus population but a debate is now stirring about next steps as the Delta variant of Covid-19 spreads in the country’s south. As total vaccinations in China near the size of the country’s population, the southern industrial powerhouse cities of Guangzhou and Shenzhen are still on a wartime footing to contain the spread of the Delta strain. However, there are divergent views on how best to proceed between the National Health Commission (NHC) and the Chinese National Center for Disease Control. While China’s nationwide immunization blitz has seen the number of doses administered pass 1.2 billion, according to the NHC’s latest June 29 figures, the commission did not reveal how many have been fully inoculated with two shots. Calls are now being made by National CDC experts to prioritize second dose injections over prodding new takers to simply boost the overall total of doses in what they fear could be a misguided numbers game.
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Leaked memo raises Thai concern about Sinovac vaccine's efficacy
A leaked health ministry document has prompted calls in Thailand for medical staff inoculated against COVID-19 to be given a booster of an mRNA vaccine, after it included a comment that such a move could dent public confidence in Sinovac Biotech's vaccine. The internal memo, which included various opinions, was reported by local media and shared widely on social media. It was confirmed by Thai Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul as being authentic. It included a comment from an unnamed official who recommended authorities do not give a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine to frontline health workers, because such a move would be "admitting that the Sinovac vaccine is not effective". Thailand has administered Sinovac's inactivated virus vaccine to most health workers and its real-world study showed two doses were 95 percent effective in reducing mortality and severe symptoms. The study showed it was 71 percent to 91 percent effective in stopping infection with the Alpha variant. Sinovac in China did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the vaccine's efficacy.
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