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House Committee Hearing on Fraud Prevention - Washington

Ken Dieffenbach, Executive Director of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, testifies before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform during a hearing on fraud prevention in Washington DC, on Tuesday, March 11, 2025 Photo by Aaron Schwartz/CNP/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Shizuoka Pref. launches tourist campaign amid COVID pandemic

Photo taken on Dec. 16, 2020, shows panels featuring characters from popular Japanese anime Yuru Camp, literally translated as "laid-back camp," beside rental car counters at Mt. Fuji Shizuoka Airport in the central Japan prefecture of Shizuoka. Local authorities launched a campaign earlier in the month offering camping and outdoor goods on a rental basis for rental car users planning to visit camping sites in Shizuoka Prefecture, in response to dwindling tourist numbers amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

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China supports WHO in continuing to lead pandemic agreement negotiations

STORY: China supports WHO in continuing to lead pandemic agreement negotiations SHOOTING TIME: May 28, 2024 DATELINE: May 30, 2024 LENGTH: 00:01:32 LOCATION: GENEVA, Switzerland CATEGORY: HEALTH SHOTLIST: 1. various of the WHO meeting 2. SOUNDBITE (Chinese): HU GUANG, Director of NDCPA's health emergency response STORYLINE: China hopes that the World Health Organization (WHO) continues to lead the talks over the pandemic agreement, an official with China's National Disease Control and Prevention Administration (NDCPA) said in Geneva, Switzerland on Tuesday. The pandemic agreement is one of the key elements of global public health governance reform in the future, said Hu Guang, who is in charge of NDCPA's health emergency response. China has been actively participating in the negotiations, playing a constructive role in drafting the agreement, Hu said in an interview with media. Hu also said China has always firmly defended multilateralism, advocated the concept of global solidarity, underscored

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Coronavirus Pandemic Hearing - Washington

Maj. Gen. Paul Friedrichs, M.D. (ret.), Director of the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy, the White House, appears before a House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic hearing “Examining the White Houses Role in Pandemic Preparedness and Response” in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, DC, USA, Wednesday, March 6, 2024. Photo by Rod Lamkey/CNP/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Coronavirus Pandemic Hearing - Washington

Maj. Gen. Paul Friedrichs, M.D. (ret.), Director of the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy, the White House, appears before a House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic hearing “Examining the White Houses Role in Pandemic Preparedness and Response” in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, DC, USA, Wednesday, March 6, 2024. Photo by Rod Lamkey/CNP/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Coronavirus Pandemic Hearing - Washington

Maj. Gen. Paul Friedrichs, M.D. (ret.), Director of the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy, the White House, appears before a House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic hearing “Examining the White Houses Role in Pandemic Preparedness and Response” in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, DC, USA, Wednesday, March 6, 2024. Photo by Rod Lamkey/CNP/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Coronavirus Pandemic Hearing - Washington

Maj. Gen. Paul Friedrichs, M.D. (ret.), Director of the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy, the White House, appears before a House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic hearing “Examining the White Houses Role in Pandemic Preparedness and Response” in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, DC, USA, Wednesday, March 6, 2024. Photo by Rod Lamkey/CNP/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Coronavirus Pandemic Hearing - Washington

Maj. Gen. Paul Friedrichs, M.D. (ret.), Director of the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy, the White House, appears before a House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic hearing “Examining the White Houses Role in Pandemic Preparedness and Response” in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, DC, USA, Wednesday, March 6, 2024. Photo by Rod Lamkey/CNP/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Coronavirus Pandemic Hearing - Washington

Maj. Gen. Paul Friedrichs, M.D. (ret.), Director of the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy, the White House, appears before a House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic hearing “Examining the White Houses Role in Pandemic Preparedness and Response” in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, DC, USA, Wednesday, March 6, 2024. Photo by Rod Lamkey/CNP/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Coronavirus Pandemic Hearing - Washington

Maj. Gen. Paul Friedrichs, M.D. (ret.), Director of the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy, the White House, appears before a House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic hearing “Examining the White Houses Role in Pandemic Preparedness and Response” in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, DC, USA, Wednesday, March 6, 2024. Photo by Rod Lamkey/CNP/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Coronavirus Pandemic Hearing - Washington

Maj. Gen. Paul Friedrichs, M.D. (ret.), Director of the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy, the White House, appears before a House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic hearing “Examining the White Houses Role in Pandemic Preparedness and Response” in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, DC, USA, Wednesday, March 6, 2024. Photo by Rod Lamkey/CNP/ABACAPRESS.COM

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U.S. failed COVID-19 response reflects systematic flaws: scholars

STORY: U.S. failed COVID-19 response reflects systematic flaws: scholars DATELINE: April 5, 2023 LENGTH: 0:01:28 LOCATION: Beijing CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. various of the U.S. 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): ADHAM SAYED, Assistant professor, Zhejiang Gongshang University, China 3. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): ALEX OWITI, Professor formerly working at Aga Khan University, Kenya STORYLINE: Scholars and experts from different countries have voiced their disapproval of the U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic, pointing to systematic flaws deeply rooted in the country. Adham Sayed, an assistant professor in China, has said that the American political system only works for the top 1% of its people. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): ADHAM SAYED, Assistant professor, Zhejiang Gongshang University, China "So for me, the most important thing in any political system is for whom this political system is working. In the USA, society is divided into the top 1% of the people, the richest people, and the other 99% of the people. So t

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U.S. disastrous response to COVID-19 human-induced: Pakistani expert

STORY: U.S. disastrous response to COVID-19 human-induced: Pakistani expert DATELINE: April 4, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:21 LOCATION: Islamabad CATEGORY: HEALTH SHOTLIST: 1. various of the U.S. 2. SOUNDBITE (English): IRFAN SHAHZAD TAKALVI, Founding president of Eurasian Century Institute, Pakistan 3. various of the U.S. STORYLINE: A Pakistani expert has said that the United States' response to the COVID-19 pandemic was a human-induced disaster and exposed the weaknesses of the American leadership. SOUNDBITE (English): IRFAN SHAHZAD TAKALVI, Founding president of Eurasian Century Institute, Pakistan "America's response to COVID-19, since day one, has been a policy response disaster. It has been a governance disaster. It has exposed many weaknesses of (the) American leadership and American institutions. As an observer, I feel that had the policy response been adequate, America could have saved at least 300,000 lives. So we know that the response, since day one, was not adequate enough. We had a president in Ameri

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NAMIBIA-WINDHOEK-BOOK-COVID-19-LAUNCH

(230310) -- WINDHOEK, March 10, 2023 (Xinhua) -- An author reads out a chapter from the book "In Times of Pandemic" during its launch in Windhoek, Namibia, March 9, 2023. A book that chronicles the Namibian society's battle against COVID-19 was launched Thursday evening in Windhoek. The book, "In Times of Pandemic," contains 13 short stories. An initiative of Goethe Institute Namibia, it offers a multi-dimensional view of the impact of, and Namibians' response to, the pandemic. (Photo by Ndalimpinga Iita/Xinhua)

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China's victory in COVID response "a miracle": expert

STORY: China's victory in COVID response "a miracle": expert DATELINE: Feb. 22, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:38 LOCATION: London CATEGORY: HEALTH SHOTLIST: 1. various of China 2. SOUNDBITE (English): KARIN PHILLIPS, Publicist, linguist and economist 3. various of China's fight against COVID-19 4. various of China STORYLINE: Three years into the fight against COVID-19, China declared a major and decisive victory in its response to the pandemic. In a recent interview with Xinhua, a Britain-based expert regarded it as "a miracle." SOUNDBITE (English): KARIN PHILLIPS, Publicist, linguist and economist "I'm German, but I've been married to an English man and I've lived in England for 40 years. I have worked in China before, since 1999. I worked in traditional medicine and medicinal plants with my husband, who had a company. China has managed to keep its record of COVID death probably lower than anyone else, certainly the lowest of any country, while there is no other country of its size and population. Basically, it's

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North China's Ganqmod Port fully resumes functions

STORY: North China's Ganqmod Port fully resumes functions DATELINE: Feb. 7, 2023 LENGTH: 0:01:07 LOCATION: HOHHOT, China CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1 various of the Ganqmod Port STORYLINE: The goods volume handled via Ganqmod Port in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region totaled over 2.1 million tonnes in January, a year-on-year increase of 436.23 percent, according to the port's management commission. The figure saw a growth of 51.88 percent from January 2020, which marks the full resumption of the functioning of the port after China optimized its pandemic response late last year. Ganqmod Port is located in Urad Middle Banner in the city of Bayannur. It is a first-class land port, an important channel for energy import, and the highway port with the largest customs and trade volume in Inner Mongolia. The port will improve the business environment and implement trade facilitation measures this year to promote shipment volume recovery. Entry procedures have been simplified at the port, a

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Japan to ease COVID-19 rules

People wearing face masks walk across an intersection in Osaka, western Japan, on Jan. 27, 2023. Japan decided the same day to ease COVID-19 prevention measures on May 8 in a major policy shift in its response to the three-year-long pandemic.

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Japan to ease COVID-19 rules

People wearing face masks walk in front of JR Osaka Station in Osaka, western Japan, on Jan. 27, 2023. Japan decided the same day to ease COVID-19 prevention measures on May 8 in a major policy shift in its response to the three-year-long pandemic.

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Japan to ease COVID-19 rules

People wearing face masks walk in front of JR Osaka Station in Osaka, western Japan, on Jan. 27, 2023. Japan decided the same day to ease COVID-19 prevention measures on May 8 in a major policy shift in its response to the three-year-long pandemic.

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Japan to ease COVID-19 rules

People wearing face masks walk in the Tenjin business and commercial area in Fukuoka, southwestern Japan, on Jan. 27, 2023. Japan decided the same day to ease COVID-19 prevention measures on May 8 in a major policy shift in its response to the three-year-long pandemic.

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Japan to ease COVID-19 rules

People wearing face masks walk across scramble crossing in Tokyo's Shibuya district, on Jan. 27, 2023. Japan decided the same day to ease COVID-19 prevention rules on May 8 in a major policy shift in its response to the three-year-long pandemic.

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Japan to ease COVID-19 rules

People wearing face masks walk across scramble crossing in Tokyo's Shibuya district, on Jan. 27, 2023. Japan decided the same day to ease COVID-19 prevention rules on May 8 in a major policy shift in its response to the three-year-long pandemic.

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Japan to ease COVID-19 rules

People wearing face masks walk across scramble crossing in Tokyo's Shibuya district, on Jan. 27, 2023. Japan decided the same day to ease COVID-19 prevention rules on May 8 in a major policy shift in its response to the three-year-long pandemic.

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Japan to ease COVID-19 rules

People wearing face masks walk around Nagoya, capital of Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, on Jan. 27, 2023. Japan decided the same day to ease COVID-19 prevention measures on May 8 in a major policy shift in its response to the three-year-long pandemic.

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Japan to ease COVID-19 rules

People wearing face masks walk in front of JR Nagoya Station in Nagoya, capital of Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, on Jan. 27, 2023. Japan decided the same day to ease COVID-19 prevention measures on May 8 in a major policy shift in its response to the three-year-long pandemic.

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Bratislava tourist board expresses welcome to Chinese tourists

STORY: Bratislava tourist board expresses welcome to Chinese tourists DATELINE: Jan. 30, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:39 LOCATION: Bratislava CATEGORY: ECONOMY/SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of Bratislava, the capital city of Slovakia 2. SOUNDBITE (Slovak): JULIUS BUDAY, Spokesperson for the Bratislava Tourist Board 3. various of local handicrafts and food STORYLINE: Responding to China's decision to optimize its COVID-19 response and international travel policies, a spokesperson for the Bratislava Tourist Board (BTB) said his city welcomes the return of Chinese tourists. SOUNDBITE (Slovak): JULIUS BUDAY, Spokesperson for the Bratislava Tourist Board "When we walked on the streets of the Old Town of our capital city in 2019, we met many Chinese tourists who were a significant part of tourism in Bratislava. They ranked sixth amongst all the foreign visitors. Unfortunately, the pandemic hit in 2020 and 2021, and this group of tourists vanished from our city and Europe in general, which is a great pity. The statistics s

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Ecuador expecting more Chinese tourists

STORY: Ecuador expecting more Chinese tourists DATELINE: Jan. 25, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:13 LOCATION: Quito CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of scenic spots in Ecuador 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): ZHAO YU, Chinese tourist 3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): Chinese travel agency staffer STORYLINE: Ecuador's tourism industry is slowly bouncing back from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The South American country has seen a surge of tourists from China after the latter optimized its COVID-19 response. Zhao Yu and her husband are among the first Chinese tourists arriving in Ecuador after China resumed outbound tourism on Jan. 8. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): ZHAO YU, Chinese tourist "Some of the locals don't know that China has already resumed outbound tourism. So, when we visited shopping malls and parks, people were surprised to see us. Because they haven't seen any Chinese tourists in years." Chinese travel agencies in Ecuador had been hit hard during the pandemic. The return of Chinese tourists is a welcome boost t

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China's Guangdong Customs keep optimizing clearance procedures

STORY: China's Guangdong customs keep optimizing clearance procedures DATELINE: Jan. 20, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:34 LOCATION: GUANGZHOU, China CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of the Nansha Port Section of Guangzhou Port 2. various of the imported flowers 3. SOUNDBITE (Chinese): FENG DANDAN, Senior staff member of Guangzhou Customs STORYLINE: As China optimized its pandemic response, the southern Guangdong province also took measures to facilitate customs clearance to promote imports and exports. As the Spring Festival draws near, demand for flowers has been rising, including tulips and roses from countries like the Netherlands and Ecuador. To ensure the freshness of the imported flowers, the customs at Guangzhou Baiyun Intl' Airport initiated a "two-step declaration" to simplify entry procedures. During the first two weeks of this year, 62 batches of imported fresh cut flowers cleared customs at the airport, up 60.6 percent from the same period last year. SOUNDBITE (Chinese): FENG DANDAN, Senior

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China's economy rapidly rebounding from pandemic shock

STORY: China's economy rapidly rebounding from pandemic shock DATELINE: Jan. 15, 2023 LENGTH: 00:02:25 LOCATION: Beijing CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various views in China 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): OKTAY F. TANRISEVER, Professor of International Relations, Middle East Technical University 3. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): BILAL AHMAD, Pakistani public health specialist 4. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): ZHANG XIQIANG, Executive Vice President, Nestle S.A. STORYLINE: China's economy is shaking off the shadow of COVID-19. The country's continuously optimized anti-virus response has promoted work and production resumption. Sectors ranging from tourism to services and catering are trickling back to their pre-pandemic level. During the 40-day-long Spring Festival travel rush that is underway, the number of passenger trips is expected to surge 99.5 percent year on year to nearly 2.1 billion, resuming 70.3 percent of that in 2019. Major projects nationwide have started construction again, and many factories are running at

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China's COVID response shift in accordance with evolving situations: Pakistani expert

STORY: China's COVID response shift in accordance with evolving situations: Pakistani expert DATELINE: Jan. 11, 2023 LENGTH: 00:02:04 LOCATION: Islamabad CATEGORY: HEALTH SHOTLIST: 1. various of China 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): BILAL AHMAD, Public health scientist at Central Care Pakistan 3. various of China's COVID-19 response 4. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): BILAL AHMAD, Public health scientist at Central Care Pakistan STORYLINE: In recent months, China has made an array of active adjustments in its COVID response. A Pakistani expert says China's COVID response shift has been made in accordance with constantly evolving situations in order to effectively address the challenges posed by the pandemic. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): BILAL AHMAD, Public health scientist at Central Care Pakistan "It is important for the government to be flexible and adaptable in their approach to prevent and control the spread of COVID-19. As the situation is constantly evolving, and new information and evidence become available, this may r

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GLOBALink | Scholar speaks highly of China's contribution in global fight against COVID-19

"When the history of COVID-19 response will finally be written, China will have a large chunk of it in terms of how it made the rest of the world feel secure, and feel in partnership with China in terms of fighting this pandemic," said a Kenya-based scholar. Produced by Xinhua Global Service

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Scholar speaks highly of China's contribution in global fight against COVID-19

STORY: Scholar speaks positively of China's contribution in global fight against COVID-19 DATELINE: Jan. 9, 2023 LENGTH: 0:02:27 LOCATION: Nairobi CATEGORY: HEALTH SHOTLIST: 1. various of China providing medical aid and vaccines to other countries 2. SOUNDBITE (English): CAVINCE ADHERE, Kenya-based international relations scholar STORYLINE: A Kenya-based scholar has spoken highly of China' role in strengthening global defenses against the COVID-19 pandemic. By mid-December 2022, China had provided anti-epidemic materials to 153 countries and 15 international organizations, sent medical expert groups to 34 countries, shared epidemic response knowledge with more than 180 countries and international organizations, and offered over 2.2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to more than 120 countries and international organizations. SOUNDBITE (English): CAVINCE ADHERE, Kenya-based international relations scholar "I think places like Africa has greatly benefited from the generosity and pragmatic approach of China

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China's optimized COVID-19 response conducive to global tourism: Pakistani official

STORY: China's optimized COVID-19 response conducive to global tourism: Pakistani official DATELINE: Jan. 3, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:16 LOCATION: Islamabad CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): AFTAB UR REHMAN RANA, Managing Director of Pakistan Tourism Department Corporation (PTDC) 2. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): AFTAB UR REHMAN RANA, Managing Director of Pakistan Tourism Department Corporation (PTDC) STORYLINE: China's newly adjusted COVID-19 response that lifts restrictions on Chinese citizens' overseas trips and promotes cross-border personnel exchanges will help the recovery of global tourism, said a Pakistani official. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): AFTAB UR REHMAN RANA, Managing Director of Pakistan Tourism Department Corporation (PTDC) "China had been a big outbound tourism market for the rest of the world before the pandemic. I think this (China's optimized COVID-19 response) is a very important decision. I think this decision will be very positively impacting the overall global tourism economy. Bec

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Yearender: Xinhua's top 10 world news events in 2022

(221230) -- BEIJING, Dec. 30, 2022 (Xinhua) -- This photo taken on Aug. 31, 2022 shows the production line of COVID-19 vaccine under the Butantan Institute in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Since June 2020, Chinese biopharmaceutical company Sinovac has carried out cooperation with the Butantan Institute to conduct a number of clinical studies, the most important of which is the Phase III clinical trial of the COVID-19 vaccine. Xinhua's top 10 world news events in 2022 Persistent COVID-19 pandemic profoundly shapes world The persistent COVID-19 pandemic has caused tremendous damage to people's lives and health, had a profound impact on the world economy and people's work and life, and exacerbated supply chain disruptions and labor shortages. Putting people and their lives first, the Chinese government has been optimizing its response measures, and has achieved major positive results in coordinating epidemic prevention and control with socioeconomic development. Countries worldwide should focus o

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China's economy to grow more rapidly in 2023: British expert

STORY: China's economy to grow more rapidly in 2023: British expert DATELINE: Dec. 27, 2022 LENGTH: 00:03:10 LOCATION: Beijing CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of street views 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): JOHN ROSS, Former director of Economic and Business Policy of London 3. various of China's economic development 4. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): JOHN ROSS, Former director of Economic and Business Policy of London 5. various of China's green development 6. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): JOHN ROSS, Former director of Economic and Business Policy of London STORYLINE: The Chinese government has rolled out a string of modified measures based on the evolving pandemic situation and Beijing's drive to better align anti-COVID efforts with economic and social development. China has shifted the focus of its COVID-19 response strategy from infection control to case treatment to prevent severe cases. The shift was made following the weakened pathogenicity of the virus. A British analyst said that the Chinese economy has mainta

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North China's Shanxi promotes resumption of work, production

STORY: North China's Shanxi promotes resumption of work, production DATELINE: Dec. 26, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:18 LOCATION: TAIYUAN, China CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of malls in Taiyuan 2. various of factories in Taiyuan STORYLINE: North China's Shanxi Province has recently introduced 20 specific measures to help market players resume work and production following the country's adjustment of its COVID-19 response. The measures include optimizing assistance services, providing technical support, conducting inclusive and prudent supervision, and cracking down on illegal activities related to the pandemic, according to the Shanxi provincial market supervision administration. In terms of optimizing assistance services, Shanxi now requires governments at all levels to pay regular visits to market entities to actively help them solve practical difficulties in the resumption of work and production. Shanxi has established a working system to connect individually-owned businesses and explored classified s

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China's anti-pandemic policy protects people's safety, health: foreign experts

STORY: China's anti-pandemic policy protects people's safety, health: foreign experts DATELINE: Nov. 23, 2022 LENGTH: 0:01:26 LOCATION: Beijing CATEGORY: HEALTH SHOTLIST: 1. various of anti-pandemic in China 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): JOSEPH MATTHEWS, Senior professor at BELTEI International University in Phnom Penh 3. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): WILLIAM JONES, Washington bureau chief of U.S. publication Executive Intelligence Review 4. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): COSTANTINOS BT. COSTANTINOS, Professor of public policy at Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia STORYLINE: Earlier this month, the Chinese government released a circular on further optimizing the COVID-19 response, announcing 20 prevention and control measures. The National Health Commission said China will faithfully implement its optimized COVID-19 response measures in a science-based and targeted manner. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, China has always put people and their lives above all else, and tenaciously pursued a dynamic zero-COVID policy, which h

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Western governments criticized for downplaying pandemic amid warning of long COVID threat

STORY: Western governments criticized for downplaying pandemic amid warning of long COVID threat DATELINE: Oct. 2, 2022 LENGTH: 0:01:29 LOCATION: Beijing CATEGORY: HEALTH SHOTLIST: 1. various of views in the U.S. 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): PAUL HUNTER, Professor in medicine, University of East Anglia in Britain 3. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): STEPHEN NDEGWA, International relations lecturer, United States International University (USIU-Africa), Kenya STORYLINE: Claims by some Western leaders that the COVID-19 pandemic "is over" have drawn criticism as the coronavirus continues to infect and kill people everyday across the world. Such claims have also sparked warnings from health experts and observers, who have stressed that the end of the pandemic is still a long way off and that downplaying the pandemic by some Western countries will have severe consequences as new threats of long COVID and monkeypox are emerging. In response, The Washington Post penned an editorial, saying straightforwardly that "the pande

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G20 members agree to expand global manufacturing and research hubs for future pandemic response

STORY: G20 members agree to expand global manufacturing and research hubs for future pandemic response DATELINE: Aug. 24, 2022 LENGTH: 00:02:57 LOCATION: BALI, Indonesia CATEGORY: POLITICS/HEALTH SHOTLIST: 1. various of the meeting 2. SOUNDBITE (English): RIZKA ANDALUSIA, Chair of the third G20 Health Working Group Meeting STORYLINE: Members of the Group of 20 (G20) have agreed on the principles to strengthen manufacturing and research hubs for future pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. The commitment was conveyed during the third G20 Health Working Group held in Bali on Aug. 22-23. SOUNDBITE (English): RIZKA ANDALUSIA, Chair of the third G20 Health Working Group Meeting "The member states are expressing the role of international organizations is vital to enhancing research and manufacturing capabilities and should be built upon to have more connected global platform to ensure democratization of knowledge." The forum also highlighted the importance of low and middle-income countries in activ

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U.S. fight against pandemic a total failure: Turkish expert

STORY: U.S. fight against pandemic a total failure: Turkish expert DATELINE: Aug. 16, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:28 LOCATION: ISTANBUL, Turkey CATEGORY: HEALTH SHOTLIST: 1. SOUNDBITE 1 (Turkish): BULENT ERTUGRUL, Expert from Reyap Hospital in Istanbul 2. SOUNDBITE 2 (Turkish): BULENT ERTUGRUL, Expert from Reyap Hospital in Istanbul STORYLINE: The U.S. government's coping with the COVID-19 is a total failure as it disregards the lives of its citizens, said a leading Turkish specialist in infectious diseases and clinical microbiology. #GLOBALink According to Bulent Ertugrul, an expert from Reyap Hospital in Istanbul, in a recent Xinhua interview, all the statistical data published up to now revealed that the U.S. has not shown the "correct response" to the pandemic since the beginning. SOUNDBITE 1 (Turkish): BULENT ERTUGRUL, Expert from Reyap Hospital in Istanbul "When we look at the statistical data today, we see that the U.S. does not show a correct response. Because today, it ranks first in the world in terms o

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Free monkeypox vaccine offered during charity event in New Orleans

STORY: Free monkeypox vaccine offered during charity event in New Orleans DATELINE: Aug. 16, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:54 LOCATION: NEW ORLEANS, U.S. CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of the "Red Dress Run" 2. various of the free monkeypox vaccination event STORYLINE: The health department of New Orleans, a U.S. city, offered free monkeypox vaccines at French Quarter, a local landmark last Saturday. The free vaccination was held during the "Red Dress Run", a charity event. People needed to meet certain criteria to be vaccinated. Given the fact that the vaccine supplies were limited, the event was on a first-come, first-served basis. The organizer introduced that this was the first free monkeypox vaccination event the New Orleans Health Department had organized, and they will host some other events later. The U.S. federal government declared a public health emergency on August 4 to step up its response to the monkeypox outbreak. Canceled for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the "Red Dress Run" in

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Zero-COVID policy is best choice for China, says expert

STORY: Zero-COVID policy is best choice for China, says expert DATELINE: July 26, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:36 LOCATION: Beijing CATEGORY: SOCIETY/HEALTH SHOTLIST: 1. various of China 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): COSTANTINOS BT. COSTANTINOS, Senior professor of public policy at the Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia 3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic/English interpretation): HEBA GAMAL, Professor of political science, Cairo-based Institute of National Planning 4. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): JOSEPH MATTHEWS, Senior professor at the BELTEI International University in Phnom Penh STORYLINE: China has adhered to a dynamic zero-COVID policy in its response to the pandemic. It emphasized rapid response to handle outbreaks in the shortest time and with minimum costs to ensure that the epidemic is under control, the economy stabilizes, and the development is secure. Experts in various countries speak highly of China's dynamic zero-COVID policy. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): COSTANTINOS BT. COSTANTINOS, Senior professor of public policy at the A

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G20 countries pledge 1.1 bln USD to global health initiative

STORY: G20 countries pledge 1.1 bln USD to global health initiative DATELINE: June 22, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:33 LOCATION: Jakarta CATEGORY: HEALTH SHOTLIST: (Courtesy of Indonesian Health Ministry official Youtube: Kementerian Kesehatan RI) 1. various of the meeting 2. various of the press conference 3. SOUNDBITE (English): SRI MULYANI, Indonesian Finance Minister STORYLINE: The G20 countries and stakeholders have agreed to contribute 1.1 billion U.S. dollars to financing a global initiative to mitigate future pandemics. The health and finance ministers of the G20 countries made the commitment during the first G20 Finance and Health Ministerial Meeting in Yogyakarta, Indonesia on Tuesday. The pledged money will be allocated to Financial Intermediary Fund (FIF) for Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response (PPR). The initiative is expected to create a financing and coordination platform between finance and health on how to address the pandemic. The Director-General of the World Health Organizat

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SWITZERLAND-GENEVA-WTO-MC12

(220617) -- GENEVA, June 17, 2022 (Xinhua) -- Photo taken on June 15, 2022 shows a view of the World Trade Organization's (WTO) 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) in Geneva, Switzerland. WTO Members have agreed on key issues such as pandemic response, TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) waiver related to COVID-19, food security, World Food Programme Food Purchases Exemption, fishery subsidies, e-commerce and WTO reforms. (WTO/Handout via Xinhua)

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SWITZERLAND-GENEVA-WTO-MC12

(220617) -- GENEVA, June 17, 2022 (Xinhua) -- Photo taken on June 15, 2022 shows a view of the World Trade Organization's (WTO) 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) in Geneva, Switzerland. WTO Members have agreed on key issues such as pandemic response, TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) waiver related to COVID-19, food security, World Food Programme Food Purchases Exemption, fishery subsidies, e-commerce and WTO reforms. (WTO/Handout via Xinhua)

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SWITZERLAND-GENEVA-WTO-MC12

(220617) -- GENEVA, June 17, 2022 (Xinhua) -- The World Trade Organization's (WTO) Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (L) speaks at the WTO's 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) in Geneva, Switzerland, June 15, 2022. WTO Members have agreed on key issues such as pandemic response, TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) waiver related to COVID-19, food security, World Food Programme Food Purchases Exemption, fishery subsidies, e-commerce and WTO reforms. (WTO/Handout via Xinhua)

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SWITZERLAND-GENEVA-WTO-MC12

(220617) -- GENEVA, June 17, 2022 (Xinhua) -- The World Trade Organization's (WTO) Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala speaks at the WTO's 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) in Geneva, Switzerland, June 15, 2022. WTO Members have agreed on key issues such as pandemic response, TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) waiver related to COVID-19, food security, World Food Programme Food Purchases Exemption, fishery subsidies, e-commerce and WTO reforms. (WTO/Handout via Xinhua)

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WTO's 12th ministerial meeting opens in Geneva to tackle key issues

STORY: WTO's 12th ministerial meeting opens in Geneva to tackle key issues DATELINE: June 13, 2022 LENGTH: 00:02:22 LOCATION: GENEVA, Switzerland CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: SOUNDBITE(English): NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALA, WTO Director-Generalvarious of the meetingvarious of the meeting complex STORYLINE: The World Trade Organization's (WTO) 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) opened Sunday at WTO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. During the four-day meeting, members of the trade organization will hold discussions on such issues as TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) waiver for COVID-19 vaccines, pandemic response, fishery subsidies, agriculture, food security, as well as the WTO's reform and its future work priorities. WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said that the world is currently facing multiple crises such as the epidemic, food shortage, climate change and regional conflicts, and she called on all parties to work together to overcome the difficulties. "No one

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How U.S. fails in pandemic response

STORY: How U.S. fails in pandemic response DATELINE: June 2, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:18 LOCATION: Beijing CATEGORY: SOCIETY/HEALTH SHOTLIST: 1. various of views in the U.S. 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): STEPHEN NDEGWA, International relations lecturer, United States International University (USIU-Africa) 3. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): PETER A. JOLICOEUR, Aviation Consultant living in China STORYLINE: Amid the pandemic, life in the U.S. seems essentially returned to normal, with most pandemic restrictions lifted. However, under such "normalcy" lies the life-threatening danger of a virus that could once again mutate, spread and kill. And, when considering the numbers, it remains evident who is indeed protecting lives and safeguarding health. Over 1 million people died due to COVID-19 in the U.S., about 192 times of the total death toll in Chinese mainland. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): STEPHEN NDEGWA, International relations lecturer, United States International University (USIU-Africa) "It is ironic that America is the rich

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World Health Assembly to focus on COVID-19, health and peace

STORY: World Health Assembly to focus on COVID-19, health and peace DATELINE: May 23, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:30 LOCATION: GENEVA, Switzerland CATEGORY: POLITICS/HEALTH SHOTLIST: 1. various of WHO headquarters 2. SOUNDBITE (English): TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, WHO Director-General STORYLINE: The 75th World Health Assembly (WHA) kicked off in Geneva, Switzerland, on Sunday to focus on major issues including response to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic and the global health for peace initiative. COVID-19 remains one of the top priorities of this year's WHA, which has been the first of its kind held in Geneva and attended by delegates in person since the outbreak of the pandemic more than two years ago. Although WHO data show that reported COVID-19 cases have declined significantly from the peak of the Omicron wave in January of this year and deaths are at the lowest since March 2020, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stressed in his address to the opening of the WHA that the pandemic is