Tag: Science&Health

EU launches investigation into Chinese medical device market

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The European Commission launched a probe into China’s public procurement of medical devices on Wednesday, the latest in a series of moves that ratchet up trade tensions ahead of President Xi Jinping’s visit to Europe next month. The investigation – which Beijing swiftly criticized – is meant to determine if European suppliers of devices ranging from needles and orthopedic appliances to complex scanners have been granted fair access in China. If it concludes that they have not, it could lead to the bloc placing restrictions on Chinese medical device companies…

NASA chief warns of Chinese military presence in space

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Washington —  China is bolstering its space capabilities and is using its civilian program to mask its military objectives, the head of the U.S. space agency said Wednesday, warning that Washington must remain vigilant. “China has made extraordinary strides especially in the last 10 years, but they are very, very secretive,” NASA administrator Bill Nelson told lawmakers on Capitol Hill. “We believe that a lot of their so-called civilian space program is a military program. And I think, in effect, we are in a race,” Nelson said. He said he…

US-China Science, Tech Pact Is Renewed for Another Six Months

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State Department —  The United States and China have agreed to extend a science and technology agreement for another six months, the U.S. State Department said Thursday. “The Department of State on behalf of the U.S. government is negotiating to amend, extend and strengthen protections within the U.S.-PRC Science and Technology Agreement (STA). In February 2024, the United States and PRC agreed to an additional short-term six-month extension of the U.S.-PRC STA,” a spokesperson told VOA. “The short-term six-month extension keeps the agreement in force while we continue negotiations,” the…

China to Show Off Airliner at Singapore Show Amid Supply Crunch

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SINGAPORE —  Singapore will play host to Asia’s biggest air show next week for the first time since the end of COVID border restrictions, with regional travel rebounding and the military side of the show bristling with defensive systems and nervous arms buyers. An expected full return of civil demand in Asia is being tested by an industry-wide supply crunch and macroeconomic headwinds, however — especially in the world’s second-largest aviation market, China — while geopolitical tensions have put weapons in the spotlight. “Supply chain issues are limiting the ability…

China’s New Antarctic Research Station Renews Concerns About Potential Security Threats

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TAIPEI, TAIWAN —  China’s inauguration of a new scientific research station in Antarctica last week has renewed debate about the purpose and impact of the rapid expansion of Chinese presence on the continent. Situated on Inexpressible Island near the Ross Sea, Qinling Station is China’s fifth scientific outpost and third research station on the continent that can operate year around. The station covers 5,244 square meters and can house up to 80 people during summer months, according to Chinese state broadcaster CGTN. Qinling Station is near the U.S. McMurdo Station…

Global Study of Doping Cases Involving Minors Points to Russia, India, China

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Montreal —  A 10-year global study of positive doping tests by children and young teenagers showed most were tied to Russia, India and China, and in sports like weightlifting, athletics and cycling, the World Anti-Doping Agency said Wednesday. Diuretics, stimulants and anabolic steroids were the most commonly found substances in more than 1,500 positive tests involving more than 1,400 minors since 2012. The youngest athlete tested was 8 years old, and the youngest sanctioned in a doping case was a 12-year-old, WADA said in the Operation Refuge study. “Operation Refuge…

Chinese Researcher Submitted COVID Virus Sequence 2 Weeks Before China Made Data Public

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A Chinese researcher uploaded a genome sequence of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 to a U.S. government database two weeks before the Chinese government shared the virus’ sequence with the world, according to documents made public Wednesday by a U.S. congressional committee. The U.S. National Institutes of Health said in response to a House Energy and Commerce Committee investigation that Chinese virologist Lili Ren submitted the sequence on December 28, 2019, but that the data was incomplete and “lacked the necessary information required for publication.” An NIH letter to the…

Doctor and Self-Exiled Activist Gao Yaojie Who Exposed AIDS Epidemic in Rural China Dies at 95 

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Renowned Chinese doctor and activist Gao Yaojie who exposed the AIDS virus epidemic in rural China in the 1990s, has died at the age of 95 at her home in the United States. Gao’s outspokenness about the virus outbreak embarrassed the Chinese government and drove her to live in self-exile for over a decade in Manhattan, New York. Gao became China’s most well-known AIDS activist after speaking out against blood-selling schemes that infected thousands with HIV. Her contributions were ultimately acknowledged to a certain extent by the Chinese government, which…

China Says Surge in Respiratory Illnesses Caused by Flu, Other Known Pathogens

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Beijing —  A surge in respiratory illnesses across China that has drawn the attention of the World Health Organization is caused by the flu and other known pathogens and not by a novel virus, the country’s health ministry said Sunday. Recent clusters of respiratory infections are caused by an overlap of common viruses such as the influenza virus, rhinoviruses, the respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, the adenovirus as well as bacteria such as mycoplasma pneumoniae, which is a common culprit for respiratory tract infections, a National Health Commission spokesperson said.…

WHO Asks China for More Information About Illnesses, Pneumonia Clusters 

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geneva —  Chinese officials say they did not detect any “unusual or novel diseases” in the country, the World Health Organization said Thursday, following an official request by the U.N. health agency for information about a potentially worrying spike in respiratory illnesses and clusters of pneumonia in children. WHO cited unspecified media reports and a global infectious-disease monitoring service as reporting clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children in northern China and formally requested more details from China earlier this week. Outside scientists said the situation warranted close monitoring, but they…