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A new virus is fast infecting the world, creating one of the biggest global health crises since Ebola and SARS. Beijing has shut down huge swaths of the country and other nations are rapidly cutting travel links and taking other drastic measures that could send a chill through the global economy.
Editor: Lin Jinbing. Producer: Yu Zhuyangyang
China Approves Its First Coronavirus Vaccine
Shot developed by a company linked to pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm will be first administered to high-risk groups including the elderly

Hong Kong Imposes City’s First Covid Lockdown in Kowloon Area
The lockdown will affect about 10,000 residents of the Yau Ma Tei and Jordan areas, which are known for their night markets

China’s CanSino Offers Pakistan 20 Million Covid-19 Vaccine Doses
Local partner AJM Pharma reports plans to disclose late-stage efficacy results ‘in a few days’ as world’s fifth-most populous country lags behind in starting inoculations

Opinion: How to Orient Toward Global Cooperation Amid Pandemic
To exit the pandemic in stronger position than we entered it, and to be more resilient in the face of potential challenges ahead

Shanghai Hotel Marked as Medium Risk in New Covid Outbreak
Three new cases have come from the Salvo Hotel in the city’s downtown Huangpu district

Tougher Covid-19 Testing Rules Deliver Shot in the Arm for Shares of Diagnostics Firms
China’s plan to require additional Covid-19 tests for people travelling during Lunar New Year seen boosting demand for test kits and diagnostic services

Caixin China Biz Roundup: Stranger Than Fiction – The Chaotic Film Project Surrounding Gaming Studio Chief’s Deadly Poisoning
In today’s episode: How Yoozoo CEO’s quest to bring a popular sci-fi book series to the big screen led him to work with the prime suspect of his murder; central bank proposes new regulation to counter abuse of market power by dominant fintech players; China falls short of U.S. trade deal target for 2020 as the coronavirus wreaks havoc

Beijing Rolls Out Testing for Residents at the Heart of the Chinese Capital
Capital races to test everyone in the central Xicheng and Dongchecg districts following an outbreak in the city’s south

Mongolia Premier Quits, Blames President Over Covid Protests
The protests erupted after viral video appeared to show a mother being hastily discharged from a local maternity hospital in a bathrobe because she had tested positive

China Passes U.S. as Top Buyer of Japanese Exports
Cars and cardboard drive gains, even as some companies warn of overreliance

China’s Disputed Virus Theory Has Shoppers Shunning Foreign Food
It’s a debate with global ramifications one because China is one of the world’s biggest buyers of many food products

CX Daily: China Hopes Biden Will Work to Restore Relations, Respect Nations’ Differences
China steps up supervision of nonbank payment companies. The country urges officials to step up disease controls in the countryside

CATL Offers Bonuses for Workers Skipping Lunar New Year
Staying on the job through February would be worth $2,000, double the usual amount, as Tesla battery supplier pushes for production while discouraging homecoming travel

Beijing Finds Two Cases of More Infectious European Coronavirus Strain
Genomic sequencing suggests the cases belong to the more transmissible B.1.1.7 variant