CX Daily: China Unplugs Travel Tracking System as Covid Curbs Ease

Travel tracking /

China unplugs travel tracking system as Covid curbs ease

China unwound a mobile itinerary tracking system that has been in place for 34 months for virus control as the country continues dismantling restrictions and shifting away from the long-held “zero-Covid” policy.

The operator of the “mobile itinerary card” said early Monday that the system would be deactivated the next day under an order from the State Council. Caixin learned that all user data in the system will be deleted for privacy protection.

Covid-19 /

Beijing beefs up health care system to handle Covid surge

Beijing is building more fever clinics at hospitals and primary care facilities as part of efforts to cope with a spike in Covid infections as its medical infrastructure comes under increasing strain after a rapid easing of virus controls.

The city’s fever clinics admitted 22,000 patients Sunday, 16 times the number a week ago, local authorities said at a news briefing Monday. The city also experienced a surge in flu-like cases and emergency calls last week, the authorities said. Some hospitals operating at full capacity have had long lines outside their fever clinics.

China allows online sales of Pfizer Covid pill Paxlovid

Zhang Wenhong: How China can weather spiking Covid

FINANCE & ECONOMY

China-Saudi Arabia /

China and Saudi Arabia agree on $50 billion of deals

China and Saudi Arabia signed investment deals worth about $50 billion during a summit attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping last week in Riyadh, Bloomberg reported.

The pacts included both the private and the public sectors, the news outlet reported, citing Saudi Arabia’s Investment Minister Khalid A. Al-Falih.

Xi attended the first China-Arab States Summit and the China-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit from Dec. 7 to 10 during his state visit to Saudi Arabia. According to a statement, Saudi and Chinese companies signed more than 30 agreements covering green energy, logistics, cloud computing and housing.

Quick hit /

China’s credit remains subdued despite central bank lending push

BUSINESS & TECH

Zhang Li, co-chairman of R&F Properties. Photo: VCG

R&F Properties /

Chinese property tycoon arrested in London for suspected graft

Co-founder of Chinese developer Guangzhou R&F Properties Co. Ltd. Zhang Li has arrested in London and is wanted in the U.S. over allegations of bribing San Francisco officials to secure permits.

Li, also the co-chairman and CEO of Hong Kong-traded R&F, allegedly “provided kickbacks and funds to co-conspirators in order to obtain the appropriate permits for a construction project,” according to a court listing cited by Bloomberg. He was arrested Nov. 30.

London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard the case Monday and granted Zhang bail at 15 million pounds ($18.4 million), the joint-highest sum ever recorded in a U.K. court, Bloomberg reported.

AI /

China to set rules for creating 'deepfakes'

China wants tech platforms that give users the ability to realistically change how people look and sound in videos to inform their users that they must get advance permission from people whose faces and voices are being altered.

The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the public security ministry issued the new regulations regarding “deepfakes” Sunday. They will take effect Jan. 10.

Quick hits /

China pushes back on U.S. chip sanctions with WTO case

Chinese brands spend $1.4 billion on World Cup ads, sponsorships

Tech Insider /

Foxconn’s India challenges, TikTok twin’s World Cup legal loss

Long Read /

Meet the entrepreneurs aiming to fix society’s problems

GALLERY

Hong Kong’s horses dash to victory

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