Chinese President
EU, China to hold talks on blocked investment deal
Agence France-Presse German Chancellor Angela Merkel is to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday as part of high-level talks between Beijing and the European Union that should reinvigorate stalled talks on an investment pact. The EU wants to agree on a plan to wrap up the deal, according to a high-ranking EU official, with the goal being to conclude negotiations by the end of the year. The European Commission has been negotiating with China on an investment agreement for more than six years. But Brussels wants further concessions from Beijing on market access and assurances for EU companies. From the EU side, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council Charles Michel are to participate in the video meeting, with an agenda covering climate change, economic and...
Zambia asks China to cancel its debt
File Photo Zambian President Edgar Lungu has asked Chinese President Xi Jinping for some “debt relief and cancellation” in a telephone conversation between the two leaders. That is according to a statement issued by Lusaka after the chat that reportedly took place on Monday. “President Lungu called for debt relief and cancellation in light of reduced revenue due to the negative impact of the pandemic, as well as competing needs for the country to secure adequate resources to fight the pandemic and to stimulate the economy,” said a statement issued by Spokesman Isaac Chipampe. Zambia’s public debt has increased significantly in recent years although it’s unclear exactly how much is actually owed to China. The two leaders agreed to continue working closely together to safeguard common intere...
China admits to destroying early coronavirus samples, says action was taken due to safety concerns
China has acknowledged it destroyed early samples of COVID-19, confirming a claim put forward by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo late last month. On Friday, Liu Dengfeng, a supervisor with China’s National Health Commission, admitted that ‘the Chinese government issued an order on January 3 to dispose of coronavirus samples’ at unauthorized laboratories, according to Newsweek. But Liu denied that the samples were destroyed as part of a cover-up, insisting that they were disposed of so as to ‘prevent risk to laboratory biological safety and prevent secondary disasters caused by unidentified pathogens.’ He stated that the labs were ‘unauthorized’ to handle such samples, and they had to be terminated in order to comply with Chinese public health laws. Liu did not specify how many labs des...
