No plastic bags, straws, or shampoo bottles at hotels in Tianjin

This week, Tianjin unveiled an ambitious plan to reduce the country’s single-use plastics. By the end of 2022, star-rated hotels in Tianjin should no longer actively provide disposable plastic supplies.

Last year, China has announced its plan to ban single-use plastics across the country. The initiative will be rolled out in three phases. Last year, China has banned the production, sales and use of some plastic products in some regions and areas. By 2022, China hopes the consumption of disposable plastic products will be significantly reduced and alternative products will be replaced. By 2025, China will prohibit the production, distribution, consumption and recycling of single-use plastic products.

天津宾馆酒店明年底不再主动提供一次性塑料用品

日前，天津市生态环境局、市发展改革委制定了《天津市塑料污染治理2021年工作要点》，明确2022年底，全市实现“禁止销售含塑料微珠的日化产品”和“全市星级宾馆、酒店等场所不再主动提供一次性塑料用品”。

Chinese and US senior officials hold video talks over economic ties

China’s Vice Premier Liu He and U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen spoke Wednesday for the first time since President Joe Biden took office.

Both the U.S. and China said the two leaders talked about the economy and cooperation, and “frankly” discussed issues of concern.

Yellen discussed the Biden administration’s plans to “support a continued strong economic recovery and the importance of cooperating on areas that are in U.S. interests,” the Treasury said in a statement.

Neither side shared further details on the conversation. The world’s two largest economies have remained close trading partners despite geopolitical tensions.

The U.S. dollar has been weakening as the U.S. central bank keeps interest rates low to support the economy’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. Partly as a result, the Chinese yuan is at its strongest against the greenback in about three years. That makes Chinese goods relatively more expensive for American buyers.

Many economists in China are also concerned about spillover effects from massive U.S. government spending meant to support growth.

Investors have been betting on a recovery, sending commodity prices surging. The rising prices have hit Chinese businesses, prompting the central Chinese government to announce additional support and clamp down on market speculation.

Chinese state media characterized the two leaders’ discussion Wednesday as one bearing an attitude of “mutual respect,” a phrase Beijing often uses when calling for more favorable communication with the U.S.

Last week, Liu spoke with U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai for the first time since Biden took office.

Second Chinese Covid-19 vaccine gets WHO emergency approval

The World Health Organization (WHO) has approved China's Sinovac Covid vaccine for emergency use.

It is the second Chinese vaccine to receive the green light from the WHO, after Sinopharm.

It opens the door for the jab to be used in the Covax programme, which aims to ensure fair access to vaccines.

The vaccine, which has already been used in several countries, has been recommended for over 18s, with a second dose two to four weeks later.

The emergency approval means the vaccine "meets international standards for safety, efficacy and manufacturing", the WHO said.

Studies showed that Sinovac prevented symptomatic disease in more than half of those vaccinated and prevented severe symptoms and hospitalisation in 100% of those studied, it added.

As well as China, the vaccine is already being administered in countries including Chile, Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Thailand and Turkey.

The Sinovac jab is already being used in many countries

Sinovac says it has supplied more than 600 million doses at home and abroad as of the end of May. It says more than 430 million doses have been administered.

One of Sinovac's main advantages is that it can be stored in a standard refrigerator at 2-8 degrees Celsius. This means Sinovac is a lot more useful to developing countries which might not be able to store large amounts of vaccine at low temperatures.

又一款！世卫组织将中国科兴新冠疫苗列入“紧急使用清单”

世界卫生组织6月1日宣布，由中国北京科兴中维生物技术有限公司研发的新冠灭活疫苗“克尔来福”正式通过世卫组织紧急使用认证。

世卫组织总干事谭德塞当天在记者会上宣布，科兴新冠疫苗被证明是“安全、有效和有质量保证的”，已被列入世卫组织紧急使用清单。此外，该疫苗易于储存的特点使其非常适用于资源匮乏的环境。

根据世卫组织免疫战略咨询专家组的意见，世卫组织建议科兴疫苗用于18岁及以上成年人，采用两剂接种、间隔时间为2至4周。数据显示，该疫苗对预防出现新冠症状的有效率为51%，对预防新冠重症和入院治疗的有效率达100%。

尽管60岁以上人群参加科兴疫苗临床试验的数据很少，世卫组织不建议为该疫苗设置使用年龄上限，因为多种数据表明，该疫苗对老年人可能也具有保护作用。

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