Chinese study - Wuhan's new corona inpatients - 76% had sequelae 6 months after infection

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

武漢の新型コロナ入院患者、感染から半年後も７６％に後遺症　中国研究

2021.01.12 Tue posted at 10:54 JST

（ＣＮＮ） 新型コロナウイルスの感染拡大が最初に起きた中国の武漢で、入院した患者の大部分が感染から半年経過した後も疲労感や睡眠障害などの症状が続いているという調査結果を、中国の研究チームが発表した。

研究チームは武漢で新型コロナウイルス感染症のため入院した患者１７００人以上を調査した。その結果、７６％は退院から数カ月たった後も症状が続いていることが分かった。

今回の調査結果は、患者がたとえ新型コロナウイルス感染症から回復したとしても、長期にわたる後遺症に見舞われる可能性があることを示唆している。新型コロナウイルスの感染者は世界で９０００万人を超す。

論文は８日の英医学誌ランセットに掲載された。新型コロナウイルス感染症患者の後遺症は疲労感が６３％で最も多く、次いで睡眠障害の２６％だった。

精神症状に苦しむ人も多く、２３％は不安やうつを訴えていた。重症化した患者は、Ｘ線検査で肺の損傷が継続して認められる傾向があった。

調査対象とした患者の年齢の中央値は５７歳。全員が昨年１月７日～５月２９日の間に、武漢の金銀潭医院を退院した。研究チームはこの期間に退院した患者のうち、死亡したり、重度の精神的・身体的症状が原因で協力できなかったり、協力を拒んだりした人を除く７０％を対象に、面接調査や身体検査、血液検査を実施した。

研究チームを率いる中日友好病院と首都医科大学の医師は、「新型コロナウイルス感染症は新しい疾患なので、患者の健康に及ぼす長期的な影響についてはまだ理解し始めたばかりだ」と述べ、退院後の患者の診療の必要性や、長期的な追跡調査の重要性を指摘している。

Translation

(CNN) In Wuhan, China, where the infection of the new coronavirus first occurred, a report done by a Chinese research team announced that most of the hospitalized patients continued to have symptoms such as fatigue and sleeping disorders six months after the infection.

The research team surveyed more than 1,700 patients hospitalized in Wuhan for coronavirus infection. As a result, it was found that 76% of the patients had symptoms even several months after discharge.

The findings suggested that patients could have long-term sequelae, even if they recover from the new coronavirus infection. More than 90 million people had been infected with the new coronavirus worldwide.

This treatise was published in the English medical journal The Lancet on the 8th. On the sequelae of coronavirus infection patients, 63% were feeling tired that stood as the most common, followed by sleeping disorders at 26%.

Many suffered from psychiatric symptoms, with 23% complaining about anxiety and depression. Patients with severe illness tended to show a continuing lung damage when examined by x-rays.

The median age of the patients surveyed was 57 years. All of them were discharged from Wuhan's Jinyintan Clinic between January 7th and May 29th last year. The research team conducted interviews, physical examinations and blood tests on 70% of patients who were discharged during this period, after excluding those who died, or were unable to cooperate due to severe mental or physical symptoms, or refused to cooperate.

Doctors at the China-Japan Friendship Hospital and the Capital Medical University who lead the research team said "because the new coronavirus infection is a new disease, we are just beginning to understand its long-term effects on patient’s health". He points out the need for medical care for patients after being discharged, and the importance of long-term follow-up investigation.

              So, this report is important in pointing out that the discharged patients could still be affected by the sequelae of coronavirus infection.

Norway investigates deaths of 23 vaccinated elderly people

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

ノルウェー、ワクチン接種の高齢者２３人の死亡例を調査

2021.01.19 Tue posted at 10:08 JST

 （ＣＮＮ） ノルウェーで身体機能の低下した高齢者２３人が、米ファイザー製の新型コロナウイルスワクチンを接種した後で死亡したとの報告を受け、専門家らが副作用との関係を調べている。

同ワクチンの副作用としては、まれに軽い発熱や吐き気などが起きることが分かっている。体力の衰えた患者にとっては、こうした症状が命取りになる可能性も指摘される。

同国の公衆保健研究所（ＦＨＩ）は死亡例の報告を受け、高齢で身体機能が低下した患者や終末期患者に対するワクチン投与の指針を改訂。医師が一人ひとりの患者について、投与のメリットが発生し得る副作用のリスクを上回るかどうかを判断することとした。

ノルウェーでは１４日までに、４万２０００人が第１回の接種を済ませた。ほかの多くの国と同様、新型ウイルス感染の重症化リスクが特に高いグループとして、基礎疾患のある高齢者や介護施設の入居者が優先されている。

ノルウェー医薬品局（ＮＯＭＡ）は声明で、対象グループの性質上、死亡がワクチン接種の時期と重なる例も想定されると指摘。国内の介護施設や長期療養施設では週に平均４００人が死亡すると説明している。

専門家らの間でも、今のところワクチン接種と死亡の因果関係を示す証拠はなく、患者が接種直後に偶然死亡することもあり得るとの見方が強い。米国立アレルギー感染症研究所のファウチ所長は、介護施設の入居者のうち、ワクチン接種を受けていないグループの死亡率を調べることが先決だと強調した。

ＦＨＩとＮＯＭＡは１５日、これまでに死者２３人のうち１３人のケースを調査したと発表。ファイザーはＮＯＭＡと協力し、あらゆる関連情報の収集に努めていると述べた。

Translation

(CNN) In Norway twenty-three elderly people with impaired physical function had died after being vaccinated with the new Pfizer coronavirus vaccine, and experts were investigating the relationship with vaccine side effects.

It was known that the side effects of the vaccine were rare, such as mild fever and nausea. It had also been pointed out that these symptoms could be fatal for patients who were weak.

Following reports of deaths, the National Institute of Public Health (FHI) revised its guidelines for vaccination of patients who had impaired body conditions due to old age and those with terminal illness. Physicians had to decide on each patient whether the merits of vaccination would outweigh the risks of possible side effects.

By the 14th, 42,000 people had completed their first vaccination in Norway. As in many other countries, those groups with a particularly high-risk response to the new virus infection were prioritized: the elderly with underlying illnesses and the residents of long-term care facilities.

The Norwegian Pharmacy (NOMA) said in a statement that due to the nature of these targeted groups, deaths could coincide with the time of vaccination. It explained that an average of 400 people die a week at domestic nursing homes and in long-term care facilities.

Even among experts, there was currently no evidence of a causal link between vaccination and death, and there was a strong belief that patients might die accidentally immediately after vaccination. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, emphasized that the first step should be looking into the mortality rate of the unvaccinated groups living in long-term care facility.

FHI and NOMA announced on the 15th that they had investigated of 13 cases out of the 23 dead so far. Pfizer said it was working with NOMA to collect all the relevant information.

              So, the situation in Norway would become clearer when all the 23 deaths are investigated.

China's largest online search company "Baidu" - to produce and sell electric vehicles

Recently NHK News on-line reported the following:

中国ネット検索最大手「バイドゥ」 電気自動車 生産・販売へ

2021年1月11日 23時41分

中国のネット検索最大手、「バイドゥ」は、国内の自動車メーカーと提携してEV＝電気自動車を生産する会社を新たに設立すると発表しました。世界最大の自動車市場の中国で、電気自動車分野の競争がさらに激しくなるものとみられます。

中国のバイドゥは11日、中国の自動車メーカー、「吉利グループ」と戦略提携を結んで子会社を設立し、EV＝電気自動車を生産・販売すると発表しました。

バイドゥは、中国政府からの支援も受けて自動運転技術の開発を進めています。

現時点では、今後開発する車の販売時期などの詳細については明らかにしていませんが、バイドゥは自動運転に使われるAI＝人工知能などの先端のIT技術を提供するとしていて、吉利がEVの製造を担当するものとみられます。

中国は年間の自動車販売台数が2500万台余りの世界最大の市場で、EVの販売台数もおよそ100万台と急速に拡大していることから、EVをめぐって、配車サービス大手の「滴滴」などIT企業の間で自動車メーカーと提携する動きが相次いでいて、バイドゥの参入によって今後競争がさらに激しくなりそうです。

Translation

Baidu, the largest online search company in China, announced that it would establish a new company to produce EV = electric vehicles in partnership with domestic automobile manufacturers. In China, the world's largest automobile market, competition in the electric vehicle sector was expected to intensify.

On the 11th, China's Baidu announced that it would form a strategic alliance with Chinese automobile manufacturer "Geely Group" to establish a subsidiary to produce and sell EV = electric vehicles.

Baidu was developing autonomous driving technology with the support of the Chinese government.

At the moment, details such as the sales time of the car to be developed in the future had not been disclosed, but it seemed that Baidu could provide advanced IT technology such as AI = artificial intelligence used for autonomous driving, and Geely would in charge of manufacturing the EV.

China was the world's largest market with annual automobile sales of more than 25 million cars, and EV sales were expanding rapidly to about 1 million. Centering around EV = electric vehicles, among IT companies such as the major delivering service companies "Di Di"  that used cars, there were  series of movements for them to enter partnership with automobile manufacturers, and the entry of Baido could likely intensify competition in the future.

              It is interesting to know that China's largest online search company "Baidu" could involve itself with the electric vehicles business.

蓬佩奧：美國取消與台灣接觸的限制

BBC News on-line reported the following on 10.1.2021:

Pompeo: US to lift restrictions on contacts with Taiwan

Published10 hours ago

The US is lifting long-standing restrictions on contacts between American and Taiwanese officials, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says.

The "self-imposed restrictions" were introduced decades ago to "appease" the mainland Chinese government, which lays claim to the island, the US state department said in a statement.

These rules are now "null and void".

The move is likely to anger China and increase tensions between Washington and Beijing.

It comes as the Trump administration enters its final days ahead of the inauguration of Joe Biden as president on 20 January.

The Biden transition team have said the president-elect is committed to maintaining the previous US policy towards Taiwan.

Analysts say they will be unhappy with such a policy decision being made in the final days of the Trump administration, but that the move could be reversed easily by Mr. Pompeo's successor Antony Blinken.

China regards Taiwan as a breakaway province, but Taiwan's leaders argue that it is a sovereign state.

Relations between the two are frayed and there is a constant threat of a violent flare up that could drag in the US, an ally of Taiwan.

In a statement on Saturday, Mr. Pompeo said the US state department had introduced complicated restrictions limiting the communication between American diplomats and their Taiwanese counterparts.

"Today I am announcing that I am lifting all of these self-imposed restrictions," he said. "Today's statement recognizes that the US-Taiwan relationship need not, and should not, be shackled by self-imposed restrictions of our permanent bureaucracy."

He added that Taiwan was a vibrant democracy and a reliable US partner, and that the restrictions were no longer valid.

Following the announcement, Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu thanked Mr. Pompeo, saying he was "grateful".

"The closer partnership between Taiwan and the US is firmly based on our shared values, common interests and unshakeable belief in freedom and democracy," he wrote in a tweet.

Last August, US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar became the highest-ranking US politician to hold meetings on the island for decades.

In response, China urged the US to respect what it calls its "one China" principle.

The US also sells arms to Taiwan, though it does not have a formal defense treaty with the country, as it does with Japan, South Korea and the Philippines.

China and Taiwan were divided during a civil war in the 1940s.

Beijing has long tried to limit Taiwan's international activities and both have vied for influence in the Pacific region.

Tensions have increased in recent years and Beijing has not ruled out the use of force to take the island back.

Although Taiwan is officially recognized by only a handful of nations, its democratically-elected government has strong commercial and informal links with many countries.

Translation

國務卿邁克·蓬佩奧(Mike Pompeo) 說，美國正在取消對美國和台灣官員之間接觸的長期限制。

美國國務院在一份聲明中說，“自我施加的限制”是幾十年前引入的，目的是“安撫” 聲稱擁有這島嶼的中國大陸政府。

這些規則現在是“無效”。

此舉可能激怒中國並加劇華盛頓與北京之間的緊張關係。

事情發生在特朗普政府進入最後的日子, 在喬·拜登(Joe Biden)於1月20日就任總統就職典禮之前。

拜登過渡小組曾說，當選總統致力於維持美國先前對台灣的政策。

分析人士表示，小組將不滿特朗普政府在最後幾天做出這一政策決定，但蓬佩奧的繼任者Antony Blinken可以很容易地扭轉這一舉動。

中國把台灣視為一個分裂的省，但台灣領導人認為台灣是一個主權國家。

兩者之間的關係已經磨損，而且持續不斷的武力爆發的威脅可能會拖累台灣的盟友美國。

蓬佩奧在周六發表的一份聲明中說，美國國務院至今引入了複雜的限制措施，限制了美國外交官與台灣同行之間的溝通。

他說：“今天，我宣布我將取消所有這些自我施加的限制。” “今天的聲明承認，美台關係沒有必要, 也不應因我們常駐官僚機構的自我施加的限制而受束縛。”

他補充說，台灣是一個充滿活力的民主國家，是美國可信賴的伙伴，這些限制不再有效。

宣布消息後，台灣外相吳釗燮對蓬佩奧先生表示“感謝”。

他在推特上寫道：“台灣與美國之間更緊密的伙伴關係牢固地基於我們的共同價值觀，共同利益和對自由與民主的堅定信念。”

去年八月，美國衛生與公共服務部長Alex Azar成為數十年來在這島上舉行會議的美國最高級政治人物。

作為回應，中國敦促美國尊重所謂的“一個中國”原則。

美國也向台灣出售武器，儘管與它沒有正式的國防條約, 例如與日本，韓國和菲律賓。

中國和台灣在1940年代的內戰中分裂。

北京長期以來一直試圖限制台灣的國際活動，而且兩者都爭奪在太平洋地區的影響力。

近年來，緊張局勢加劇，北京不排除使用武力奪回該島。

儘管只有少數幾個國家正式承認台灣，但其民選政府與許多國家都有著牢固的商業和非正式聯繫。

              For mainland China, the Taiwan issue is the most important topic in its relationship with the US. In recent months, Pompeo has been taking actions to escalate the US -Taiwan connection while CCP is watching and condemning. I am interested to see how Joe Biden will handle this after taking office. If the matter is not handled carefully, it could cause explosive consequence. For those who are interested the background on how the US government developed its foreign policy toward China since the late the Qing dynasty and up to 1949,  a book entitled the “China White Paper” could be useful. My blog dated 29^th November 2009 (tag: 書本摘要) has talked about to this book.

The China White Paper

解讀：香港逮捕群眾冷却民主運動

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

EXPLAINER: Hong Kong mass arrests chill democracy movement

Associated Press Wed., January 6, 2021, 12:37 a.m. PST

HONG KONG (AP) — The sudden arrest of dozens of pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong, in the most sweeping use of a new national security law to date, is a clear sign of Beijing's determination to rein in political opposition in the former British colony.

The Wednesday morning roundup, widely condemned by Western government officials and human rights groups, will likely further chill an already dwindling protest movement in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Police detained about 50 people, far more than in previous cases under the 6-month-old national security law. Those targeted appeared to include all candidates who had run in an unofficial opposition primary last year ahead of an expected election for Hong Kong’s legislature. City leader Carrie Lam later scrapped the election, citing the coronavirus pandemic. Activists called her move a thinly veiled attempt to thwart expected opposition gains.

HOW CAN A PRIMARY BE A THREAT TO NATIONAL SECURITY?

Security Secretary John Lee said those arrested were suspected of trying to gain control of the legislature to paralyze government business. The subversion section of the national security law criminalizes “seriously interfering in, disrupting, or undermining the performance of duties and functions” of the Chinese or Hong Kong governments.

Lam said at the time of the primary that if its purpose was to resist every government initiative, it could amount to subverting state power. The central government labeled the primary illegal and a “serious provocation” to Hong Kong’s electoral system.

WHAT’S THE LIKELY IMPACT?

The arrests will remove more activists from the scene, reducing the possibility of renewed protests and eliminating many as future candidates for office. They warn a younger generation that formed the backbone of protests in 2014 and 2019 that even holding an unofficial primary can result in legal action that can seriously impact their futures.

Human Rights Watch said of the move that repression generates resistance, but the tightening restrictions on opposition activity and the lingering effects of the coronavirus on public life and the economy could delay or permanently discourage the emergence of a new generation willing to take on Beijing.

WHY NOW?

Beijing has been unrelenting in its efforts to prevent any repeat of the 2019 protests, which grew increasingly violent in response to the government's refusal to entertain the protesters' demands. They plunged Hong Kong into its biggest political crisis since its return to Chinese rule in 1997.

China is also determined to drive out what it sees as unwarranted foreign government interference in its domestic affairs. The nation's newfound military, economic and political clout is emboldening it to take on the West, and it can take advantage of distractions resulting from pandemic and political disruptions in the U.S. and Europe.

Translation

香港（美聯社）- 在香港，數十名支持民主的激進分子突然被捕，這是迄今為止最廣泛使用新國家安全法，這清楚地表明了北京決心遏制前英國殖民地政治反對派的決心。。

被西方政府官員和人權組織廣泛譴責的星期三上午的逮捕行動, 可能會進一步打擊在半自治的中國領土上已經在逐漸減少的抗議運動。

發生了什麼？

警方拘留了約50人，遠遠超過了以往歷時6個月的國家安全法所有案件總和。目標對像似乎包括所有在去年預期將選舉香港立法機關之前, 在非官方的反對派初選中競選的候選人。市領導林鄭月娥後來以冠狀病毒大流行為由取消了這選舉。激進分子稱她以病毒為由作出的掩飾薄紗, 以試圖挫敗預期中的反對派的收穫。

初選如何威脅國家安全？

保安局局長李家超說，被捕者涉嫌企圖控制立法機關，使政府業務癱瘓。國家安全法的顛覆部分, 將對中國或香港政府的 “嚴重干擾，破壞或破壞履行職責的行為” 定為犯罪。

林在舉行初選時表示，如果其目的是抵抗政府的每一項倡議，那可能就等於顛覆國家政權。中央政府將這舉初選標記為非法, 和對香港選舉制度的 “嚴重挑釁” 。

有什麼影響？

這次逮捕將把更多的維權人士趕出現場，減少抗議活動再次發生的可能性，並消除許多人成為未來的競選候選人。他們警告說，在2014年和2019年構成了抗議活動的骨幹年輕人，即使舉行非官方的初選, 也可能導致可能嚴重影響其未來的法律訴訟。

人權觀察社說，鎮壓會產生抵抗，但對反對派活動的嚴格限制, 以及冠狀病毒對公共生活和經濟的 持久影響, 可能會推遲或永久阻止出現新一代願意挑戰北京的人。

為什麼現在？

北京一直在不懈努力，以防止2019年抗議活動再次發生。當時由於政府拒絕接受抗議者的要求，這種抗議活動變得越來越暴力。他們使香港陷入了自1997年回歸中國以來最大的政治危機。

中國還決心排除外國政府對其內政的無理干預。該國新顯現的軍事，經濟和政治影響力使它有量膽面對挑戰西方，並且可以利用因大流行在美國和歐洲引起的政治動盪而所得到優勢。

              So, confrontation between China and the western countries is likely to continue for some time to come due to matters happen in Hong Kong.

US Moderna - Effect of new corona vaccine could "last for at least one year"

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

新型コロナワクチンの効果、「少なくとも１年持続」　米モデルナ

2021.01.12 Tue posted at 15:34 JST

 （ＣＮＮ） 米モデルナが開発した新型コロナウイルスのワクチンについて、同社幹部は１１日、少なくとも１年間は効果が持続するとの見方を示した。

 モデルナのタル・ザックス最高医療責任者（ＣＭＯ）が、ヘルスケア業界の企業や投資家が集まる米ＪＰモルガン主催の年次会議で語った。

 モデルナ製と米ファイザー製のワクチンは米食品医薬品局（ＦＤＡ）の緊急使用許可（ＥＵＡ）を受けているが、いずれも昨年開発されたばかりで、予防効果がどのくらい続くのかは確認されていない。

 モデルナのワクチンは約１カ月の間を置いて２回接種される。ザックス氏は、３回目の接種を追加することで効果をどの程度引き延ばすことができるか、今後さらに研究を重ねると述べた。

Translation

(CNN) Regarding the new coronavirus vaccine developed by US Moderna, this company's executive said on the 11th that its effect could last for at least one year.

Moderna’s Chief Marketing Officer Tal Zaks said at an annual meeting hosted by JP Morgan which was a gathering for companies and investors from the healthcare industry.

The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines had been granted an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but as both were just developed last year, how long their preventive effects could last was not confirmed at that moment.

Moderna's vaccination had to be given twice, about one month apart. Zaks said he would continue to study how the effect of their vaccine could be extended by an additional third dose.

              So, it seems that Moderna could become the most popular vaccine for Covid-19. It is good news to know that this vaccine is effective for over a year. This is longer than I have expected.

中國的CNBG已向阿聯酋提供了300萬劑COVID-19疫苗

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

China's CNBG has supplied 3 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to UAE

Reuters Tue., January 5, 2021, 3:10 a.m. PST

BEIJING (Reuters) - United Arab Emirates (UAE) has received a total of three million COVID-19 vaccine doses from China National Biotec Group (CNBG), the company said on Tuesday.

CNBG has moved into late-stage clinical trials two COVID-19 vaccine candidates respectively developed by its units in Beijing and Wuhan city. The Beijing unit's shot obtained a green light last week for general public use in China.

CNBG is a subsidiary of state-backed China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm).

"According to preliminary feedback from UAE, emergency use shows that Sinopharm CNBG's COVID-19 vaccine is safe in large-scale use and has significantly reduced the disease in vaccinated people," CNBG said in an article published on Chinese social media WeChat, without specifying which candidate it referred to.

The firm didn't break down the numbers of doses for each candidate in its supply to UAE. It's not immediately clear how many of these doses were used in clinical trials and how many in real-life use.

Pakistan said last week it would purchase 1.2 million doses of the vaccine developed by CNBG's Beijing unit.

Translation

北京（路透社）- 中國國家生物技術集團（CNBG）週二表示，阿拉伯聯合酋長國 (UAE）已從它的集团公司獲得了三百萬劑COVID-19疫苗。

中国生物技术集团公司已將其分別在北京和武漢的部門研製的兩種候選COVID-19疫苗進行了後期臨床試驗，北京單位的疫苗注射在上週獲得了中國公開使用的許可。

中国生物技术集团公司是國家支持的中國醫藥集團（Sinopharm）的子公司。

中国生物技术集团公司在中國社交媒體微信上發表的一篇文章中說： “根據阿聯酋的初步反饋，緊急使用顯示國藥CNBG的COVID-19疫苗可以安全地大規模使用，並大大降低了接種疫苗的人的發病。” 它沒有指出是哪個候選疫苗。

該公司沒有細分其向阿聯酋供應的每位候選人的劑量數量，也不清楚立即在臨床試驗中使用多少劑量以及在現實生活中使用多少劑量。

巴基斯坦上週表示，它將購買120萬劑中国生物技术集团北京分公司研發的疫苗。

              So, CNBG's COVID-19 vaccine is now made available to United Arab Emirates. I am interested to know how this vaccine will perform after the vaccination starts.

China - to disqualify two Chinese lawyers who supported democratic activists in Hong Kong

Recently NHK News On-line reported the following:

中国 香港の民主活動家ら支援の中国の弁護士2人 資格剥奪へ

2021年1月5日 6時03分

中国当局は、香港から台湾に密航しようとした罪で実刑判決を受けた香港の民主活動家らを支援した中国の弁護士2人に対し、弁護士資格を剥奪すると通告し、弁護士は「不当な迫害だ」として反発しています。

資格剥奪の通告を受けたのは、中国で人権派弁護士として知られる任全牛弁護士と、盧思位弁護士の2人です。

2人は、香港から船で台湾に密航しようとした罪で、12月30日に中国の裁判所で実刑判決を受けた香港の民主活動家や学生などの家族から依頼され、裁判での弁護や拘置所での接見を求めていました。

裁判で、2人が弁護を担当することは認められませんでしたが、中国の司法当局は資格剥奪の理由について、2人が過去に担当した裁判の内容やインターネット上での書き込みなどを挙げ「弁護士のイメージが著しく損なわれた」としています。

一方で、任弁護士はNHKの電話取材に対し、家族からの依頼を受けたあとの去年10月ごろから中国当局による圧力が一段と強まったとしたうえで、資格剥奪の通告について「今回の裁判に関わったことが問題視されたのは明らかだ。ありもしない法律の規定による弁護士への不当な迫害だ」と強く反発しています。

Translation

Chinese officials informed two Chinese lawyers who had helped Hong Kong democratic activists sentenced for smuggling from Hong Kong to Taiwan that they would be disqualified; the lawyers opposed to that as an "unjustified persecution."

The people that had been notified of disqualification were two known human rights lawyers in China, respectively lawyer Rèn quán niú (任全牛) and lawyer Lú sī wèi (盧思位).

The two had been entrusted by family members of the Hong Kong democratic activists and students who were sentenced to prison in a Chinese court on December 30 for attempting to stowaway from Hong Kong to Taiwan by ship to defense them in court, and to look for and interview them at the detention center.

While these two were not allowed to do the defence at the trial, the Chinese judiciary supposed that the reason for their disqualification was their writings on the Internet about the contents of the court trials in the past which they had taken part, and as such “the image of a lawyer has been significantly damaged. "

On the other hand, lawyer Ren told NHK's telephone interview that from around October last year the pressure on him from the Chinese authorities had increased further after receiving a request from his family. Regarding the disqualification notice, he strongly opposed that "it is clear that my involvement in this trial has bee seen as a problem. It is an unjust persecution of a lawyer under the provisions of a non-existing law."

So, the treatment received by these two lawyers makes me to wonder once more whether China is a society ruled by law as measured by western standards.

US - Better than human? 4 robots dance to songs

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

Boston Dynamic robots (Source:CNN)

人間より上手？　ロボット４体が曲に合わせダンス　米

2021.01.01 Fri posted at 13:47 JST

 ニューヨーク（ＣＮＮ Ｂｕｓｉｎｅｓｓ） 米ボストン・ダイナミクスはこのほど、同社のロボット４体がヒット曲に合わせて緻密（ちみつ）な振り付けのダンスを踊る映像を公開した。

ボストン・ダイナミクスは米マサチューセッツ工科大学（ＭＩＴ）から独立したスピンオフ企業。倉庫業や警察、公益企業、工場に、人間以上に巧みかつ安全にタスクをこなすロボットを販売している。

同社は１２月２９日、自社ロボットのスキルの向上ぶりを示す目的で映像を公開した。映像にはロボットたちが１９６０年代のコントゥアーズのヒット曲「ドゥ・ユー・ラヴ・ミー」に合わせてツイストやマッシュポテトなどのダンスを踊る様子が映っており、印象的な一方でどこか不気味でもある。

米電気自動車（ＥＶ）大手テスラの最高経営責任者（ＣＥＯ）で、人工知能に関して懐疑的な意見を持つことで知られるイーロン・マスク氏はツイッターでこの動画に触れ、「コンピューターで生成された映像ではない」と指摘した。

ボストン・ダイナミクスはこれまでのところ、ロボット工学の推進者が想定や期待をしていたほどの成功を収めていない。獲得した顧客はごくわずかで、過去３年間のうちに親会社が３回変わった。米グーグルによって２０１３年に買収されたものの１７年にソフトバンクに売却され、昨年前半には韓国の現代自動車の傘下に入っている。

同社は昨年６月、犬型ロボットの「スポット」を１体７万４５００ドルで米企業に販売し始めた。

だが、今回の動画で主役の座を奪ったのは人型ロボットの「アトラス」２体だ。ボストン・ダイナミクスは１９年、アトラスが３６０度回転ジャンプなどを披露する様子を公開していたが、今回の動画からはアトラスの能力がこの１年で大きく進化したことがうかがえる。

動画には他にも車輪付きのロボット「ハンドル」も登場している。

Translation

New York (CNN Business) -- Boston Dynamics had recently released a video of its four robots dancing in a precise composition to a hit song.

Boston Dynamics was an independent spin-off company from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). It sold robots that performed tasks more skillfully and safely than humans in warehousing, policing, public works, and factories.

On December 29, the company released a video to show how the skills of its robots had improved. The footage showed the robots were dancing Twists, Mashed Potatoes, and other dances to the 1960s Contours hit song "Do You Love Me", the dancing was impressive but somewhat weird.

Elon Musk, CEO of electric vehicle (EV) giant Tesla, who was known for his skepticism about artificial intelligence, pointed out on Twitter that the video "this is not computer-generated footage. "

So far, Boston Dynamics was not as successful as robotics proponents had imagined or expected. Only a few customers were acquired, and the parent company had changed three times in the last three years. Although it was acquired by Google in 2013, it was sold to Softbank in 2017 and became a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Co., Ltd. in South Korea in the first half of last year.

In June last year, the company began selling dog-shaped robot "Spot" to US companies for $ 74,500 each.

However, it was the two humanoid robots "Atlas" that took the lead role in this video performance. While Boston Dynamics released in 2019 that Atlas would perform a 360-degree rotation jump,  this video showed that Atlas's abilities had greatly evolved over the past year.

The video also features a wheeled robot "Handle".

              It is amazing to know that Boston Dynamic could have developed its humanoid robots "Atlas" that can do gymnastics, including somersaulting, even better than human. It is a testimony to how the research on developing humanoid robots has gone through since Honda developed its “Ashimo” more than fifteen years go. For those who are interested in knowing how humanoid robots can do, please go to the official web-site of Boston Dynamic to have a look. It is shocking for me, in particular the somersaulting done by “Atlas”.

Ashimo (Source: Honda)

Notes:

1. "Do You Love Me" was a 1962 hit single recorded by the Contours. Mashed Potato was a popular dance move in the early 1960s. It was first made famous by James Brown in 1959 and used in his concerts regularly.

2. Boston Dynamics develops the humanoid robot "Atlas" and the dog robot “Spot”, among other products.

歐盟 : 中國對開放市場投資協議給予政治肯首

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

EU, China Give Political Nod to Market-Opening Investment Pact

Jonathan Stearns

Bloomberg Wed., December 30, 2020, 9:32 p.m. PST

(Bloomberg) -- The European Union and China announced the political approval of an agreement to open the Chinese market further to EU investors, marking a major step in talks that began in 2013.

The breakthrough in negotiations on an EU-China investment deal signals the bloc’s determination to focus on economic opportunities in Asia even amid criticism of Beijing’s record on human rights. The accord could enter into force in early 2022.

For the EU, the deal risks irking the incoming U.S. administration, which has urged the Europeans to consult with them over China’s economic practices. Failure by the U.S. and EU to forge a common position would give Beijing an advantage as western leaders reassess geopolitical relations in the wake of Donald Trump’s presidency.

“This agreement is of major economic significance,” the leaders of the bloc’s two main institutions, Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen, said in a statement on Wednesday after a video conference with Chinese President Xi Jinping. “China has committed to an unprecedented level of market access for EU investors, giving European businesses certainty and predictability for their operations.”

The incoming U.S. administration under President-elect Joe Biden has already signaled reservations about the deal. Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser, on Dec. 22 called for “early consultations with our European partners on our common concerns about China’s economic practices.”

An official in Biden’s transition team, who asked not to be identified, said Wednesday the incoming administration looked forward to consulting with the EU on a “coordinated approach to China’s unfair economic practices and other important challenges.”

Market Access

For the 27-nation EU, the pact expands access to the Chinese market for foreign investors in industries ranging from cars to telecommunications. Furthermore, the agreement tackles underlying Chinese policies deemed by Europe and the U.S. to be market-distorting: industrial subsidies, state control of enterprises and forced technology transfers.

For China, the accord bolsters the country’s claim to be a mainstream geopolitical force and may limit risks resulting from a tougher EU stance on Chinese investments in Europe. It also strengthens Beijing’s longstanding call for the start of negotiations on a free-trade pact with the EU, which has insisted on an investment deal first.

China ranked as the EU’s second-largest trade partner in 2019 (behind the U.S.), with two-way goods commerce valued at more than 1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) a day.

Environmental Conditions

The investment deal “demonstrates China’s determination and confidence in advancing a high level of opening to the outside world, and will provide greater market access for China-EU mutual investment, a higher quality business environment, stronger institutional guarantees and brighter cooperation prospects,” Xi said, according to state media.

The announcement on Wednesday represents a high-level political blessing to the investment pact, which will also cover environmental sustainability. Both sides plan to put the finishing touches on it over the coming months.

“A strong agreement would be a powerful statement to show that constructive engagement can produce results,” Joerg Wuttke, president of the EU Chamber of Commerce in China, said in an emailed statement.

Human Rights

Once finalized, the accord will need the approval of the European Parliament, where some voices have expressed objections as a result of alleged human-rights violations in China. The deal includes Chinese pledges on labor standards meant to address such concerns, including in relation to ratification of related United Nations-backed conventions, according to EU officials, who asked not to be identified because of the continuing preparations.

“It’s not a given that the EU Parliament will give its consent,” Reinhard Buetikofer, a German Green member of the assembly, told Bloomberg Television on Tuesday. “We’ll give it a tough scrutiny.”

The EU’s push for an agreement highlights global cross-currents after Trump shook the post-war system over the past four years by sidelining the World Trade Organization, starting a tariff war against China and hitting or threatening U.S. allies in Europe with controversial import duties.

When the Trump administration in January 2020 struck a first-phase commercial accord with China that eased their economically damaging fight, the EU criticized the deal as a “managed-trade outcome” that might itself violate WTO rules and merit a legal challenge.

Deal Highlights

Following are some of the Chinese concessions to European investors in the agreement, according to an EU official who spoke on the condition of anonymity:

Following are some of the Chinese concessions to European investors in the agreement, according to an EU official who spoke on the condition of anonymity:

Chinese market opening: improved access across industries including air-transport services, where joint-venture requirements for computer-reservation systems are being removed, and new opportunities in sectors including clean vehicles, cloud services, financial services and health

Chinese state-owned enterprises: non-discrimination commitment when SOEs are buyers of services

Chinese subsidies: enhanced transparency, notably for services

Chinese forced technology transfers: prohibited

While the accord largely commits the EU to maintain its relative openness to Chinese investors, according to the European official, the deal offers greater access for them to the bloc’s:

Energy wholesale and retail markets (but excluding trading platforms)

Renewable-energy markets (with a 5 per cent cap at the level of EU countries and a reciprocity mechanism)

Translation

（彭博）- 歐盟和中國宣布達成政治協議，中國同意進一步向歐盟投資者開放市場，這標誌著2013年開始的會談邁出了重要一步。

中歐投資協議進行的談判取得突破，標誌著歐盟決心聚焦亞洲的經濟機會，即使持續地批評北京的人權記錄。該協議可能會在2022年初生效。

對於歐盟來說，這筆交易有可能激怒即將上任的美國政府，該政府敦促歐洲人就中國的經濟做法與他們進行磋商。美國和歐盟未能樹立共同立場，將給北京帶來優勢，因為唐納德·特朗普（Donald Trump）擔任總統後，西方領導人重新評估了地緣政治關係。

歐盟兩大主要機構的領導人查爾斯·米歇爾（Charles Michel）和烏爾蘇拉·馮·德·萊恩（Ursula von der Leyen）在與中國國家主席習近平舉行視頻會議後的一份聲明中說：“這項協議具有重大的經濟意義。”; “中國致力於為歐盟投資者提供前所未有的市場准入水平，使歐洲企業的運營具有確定性和可預測性。”

在候任總統喬·拜登（Joe Biden）即將上任的美國新政府已經表示對該交易持保留態度。拜登的國家安全顧問 Jake Sullivan 在12月22日呼籲“就對中國經濟行徑的共同關切，與歐洲夥伴儘早進行磋商。”

要求不願透露姓名的拜登過渡團隊的一位官員周三表示，新任政府期待與歐盟就“針對中國不公平經濟做法和其他重要挑戰去協調處理方法”進行磋商。

市場准入

對於27個成員國的歐盟，該協議擴大了外國投資者進入中國市場的機會，涉及從汽車到電信等行業。此外，該協議還解決了歐洲和美國認為扭曲市場的潛在中國政策：工業補貼，國家對企業的控制和強制性技術轉讓。

對於中國而言，該協議增強了該國聲稱自己是主流地緣政治力量的作用，並可能限制由於歐盟對中國在歐洲投資的強硬立場而導致的風險。這也增強了北京長期以來一直呼籲與歐盟就自由貿易協定進行談判的呼籲，後者一直堅持首先達成投資協議。

2019年中國是歐盟第二大貿易夥伴（僅次於美國），雙向商品貿易額每天超過10億歐元（12億美元）。

營商環境

據官方媒體習近平曾說, 這項投資協議“表明了中國對推進對外開放的決心和信心，並將為中歐相互投資提供更大的市場准入，更高質量的商業環境，更強大的制度保障和更光明的合作前景”。

週三的宣布是對投資協定的高層政治祝福，其中還將涵蓋環境的可持續性。雙方計劃在接下來的幾個月中對其進行最後的潤色。

歐盟中國商會會長Joerg Wuttke在一封電子郵件聲明中說：“強力的協議將是有力的聲明，表明有建設性的溝通可以產生結果。”

人權

該協議一旦敲定，將需要得到歐洲議會的批准，由於中國涉嫌侵犯人權，一些聲音表達了反對意見。有歐盟官員表示，該協議包括中國對旨在解決此類問題的勞工標準的承諾，包括落實聯合國支持的相關公約有關的承諾。由於準備工作仍在不斷進展中，他們不願透露姓名。

德國綠黨國會議員Reinhard Buetikofer星期二對彭博電視台說：“這不是一定會獲得歐盟議會的同意”; “我們將對其進行嚴格審查。”

歐盟的推動協議凸顯了全球的交叉潮流。特朗普在過去四年辺沿化世界貿易組織（WTO），用關稅戰爭針對中國, 並以有爭議的進口關稅去打擊或威脅歐洲的美國盟友,動搖了戰後體制。

當特朗普政府於2020年1月與中國達成第一階段商業協議以緩解其對經濟造成破壞的鬥爭時，歐盟批評該交易為“有受操控的的貿易結果”，這本身可能違反WTO規則並應受到法律挑戰。

交易亮點

根據一位不願透露姓名的歐盟官員說，以下是在該協議中,中國對歐洲投資者的一些讓步：

-         -   中國市場的開放：改善了航空運輸服務等行業的准入條件，其中取消了對電腦預訂系統的合資要求; 以及對環保清潔車輛，雲端服務，金融服務和健康服務行業提供新機遇

-         -   中國國有企業：當國有企業(SOEs)成為服務購買者時的無歧視承諾

-         -    中國的補貼：提高透明度，尤其是服務業的透明度

-          -   中國強制技術轉讓：禁止

這位歐洲官員稱，儘管該協議主要承諾歐盟維持對中國投資者的相對開放性，但該協議為他們提供了進入歐盟的更大途徑：

 -    能源批發和零售市場（但不包括交易平台）

-         -      可再生能源市場（歐盟國家的上限為5％，並設有互惠機制）

              So, while China is having a tense relationship with the “Five Eyes" (FVEY) countries, it is now hoping to maintain a good trading connection with the EU. Given that China’s human right record is constantly challenged by some European politicians on issues such as handling of the democratic movement in Hong Kong, some opposition voice can be expected in the EU when this investment package is being discussed in the future. Meanwhile in South-east Asian, China is trying to have a good relationship with the ASEAN countries. On November 15, 2020, 15 Asia-Pacific nations, including China, signed the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) which is the world’s largest free-trade agreement (FTA).

Notes:

1: SOEs is the abbreviation for State-Owned Enterprises

2: Charles Michel is a Belgian politician serving as President of the European Council since 2019. He previously served as Prime Minister of Belgium between 2014 and 2019. The European Council is a collegiate body that defines the overall political directions and priorities of the European Union.

3: Ursula von der Leyen is a German politician and physician who has been the president of the European Commission since 1 December 2019. The European Commission is the executive branch of the European Union, responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the EU treaties and managing the day-to-day business of the EU.

Russian national vaccines: doctors and nurses not cooperating - strong distrust in people

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

ロシア国産ワクチン、医師や看護師もそっぽ　国民の不信感根強く

2020.12.25 Fri posted at 10:21 JST

モスクワ（ＣＮＮ） 米国や英国で新型コロナウイルスワクチンに対する期待が高まる中、世界の中でもいち早く幅広い国民を対象とするワクチン接種を開始したロシア。だが国民の不信感に阻まれて、接種に訪れる人はまばらな状態が続いている。

モスクワでは２週間前、ロシアで最初の拠点となる７０カ所のワクチン接種施設が開設され、医療従事者などを対象にロシア製のワクチン「スプートニクＶ」の接種が始まった。

だがモスクワ市長によると、これまでに接種を受けたのは１万５０００人のみ。各施設で１日当たり約１５人の接種にとどまる計算で、米国で最初の週に２７万１０００人以上が接種を受けたのとは対照的だ。

ＣＮＮが調べたモスクワ市内の９施設の予約サイトは空きが目立ち、取材に訪れた２施設は行列もできていなかった。

モスクワでは当初、医療従事者や教員をワクチン接種の対象としていたが、間もなくジャーナリストや公共交通機関の職員などにも対象が拡大された。

しかし現地からの報道によると、厳格な書類審査が行われていないため、健康条件さえ満たせば実質的に誰でもワクチン接種の申し込みができる状態にあるという。

こうした状況は国民のワクチンに対する不信感を物語る。ロシアは今年８月、数十人の臨床試験を経て、大々的にスプートニクＶを承認した。しかし安全性と効果の検証を目的としたフェーズ３の大規模臨床試験前に承認が発表されたことに対し、専門家から強い批判が巻き起こった。

メーカーによると、スプートニクＶは臨床試験で９０％以上の効果を実証したとされる。しかし米ファイザーとビオンテックが共同開発したワクチンなど、競合他社のワクチンに追いつくために発表を急いだ可能性があるとの批判も広がった。

プーチン大統領が今月２日にワクチンの大規模接種を開始するよう政府に指示したのは、英国がファイザーとビオンテックのワクチンを承認した２時間後だった。

ワクチンに対する不信感は、国民の大多数に接種を受けさせたい各国政府にとって課題を投げかける。特にロシアでは、市民への接種の呼びかけ役を担うはずの医療関係者が接種に乗り気でない。

「今のところワクチンを接種するつもりはない。ロシアのワクチンは不透明で効果も実証されていないから」。サンクトペテルブルクの開業医、ビクトリア・アレクサンドローバさんはそう打ち明けた。

ＣＮＮが取材した医師や看護師はほとんどが、ワクチン開発や承認のプロセスに懸念を示し、詳しいデータが明らかになるまで接種は受けないと話している。

独立系の調査機関がロシア国民を対象に１０月下旬に実施した世論調査では、ワクチンが無料で任意になる場合、接種は望まないという回答が５９％を占め、８月の調査より４ポイント増加した。

与党の統一ロシア党が１０月に実施した世論調査でも、７３％がワクチン接種を受ける予定はないと回答した。

プーチン大統領（６８）は１７日に行った毎年恒例の記者会見で、スプートニクＶの効果は実証されていると強調、「接種を受けない理由はない」と力説した。

ただ、自身はまだスプートニクＶの接種を受けていないことを認めたが、それは６０歳以上の高齢者は接種を勧告されていないためだと釈明している。

Translation

Moscow (CNN) - Russia was one of the first in the world to start vaccination for a wide range of people amid the rising expectations for the new coronavirus vaccine now in the United States and the United Kingdom. However, in Russia the number of people who come to the vaccination remained sparse because of the distrust of the people.

Two weeks ago 70 vaccination facilities, as the first strongholds in Russia, were opened in Moscow. The Russian-made vaccine "Sputnik V" were being vaccinated for medical professionals.

But according to the mayor of Moscow, only 15,000 people had been vaccinated so far. Only about 15 people were vaccinated per day at each facility, in contrast to more than 271,000 people in the United States in the first week.

The reservation sites in nine facilities in Moscow which CNN investigated were conspicuously vacant, and two other facilities visited for coverage had no line-ups.

Initially, Moscow targeted the healthcare workers and teachers for vaccination, and soon expanded it to include journalists and public transport staff.

However, according to local media reports, virtually anyone could apply for vaccination if they met the health conditions because strict document screenings had not been carried out.

This situation told a story of public distrust of the vaccines. Russia extensively approved Sputnik V in August this year after conducting clinical trials with dozens of people. However, experts had strongly criticized the announcement of an approval before doing a large phase 3 clinical trial that aimed at verifying safety and efficacy.

According to the manufacturer, Sputnik V had demonstrated more than a 90% effectiveness in clinical trials. However, criticism had spread that it might have been rushed the announcement to catch up with competitors' vaccines, such as the vaccine jointly developed by Pfizer and BioNTech.

Putin instructed the government to start a large-scale vaccination on the 2nd of this month, two hours after the UK approved the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccines.

Distrust in vaccines posed a challenge for governments that wanted the majority of their population to be vaccinated. Especially in Russia, medical personnel who were supposed to promote vaccination to citizens were themselves not interested in getting vaccinated.

Victoria Alexandrova, a practitioner in St. Petersburg, confessed that "I'm not going to be vaccinated at this time, because Russian vaccines are opaque and unproven."

Most doctors and nurses interviewed by CNN had expressed concerns about the process of vaccine development and its approval; and had said that they would not be vaccinated until detailed data were available.

In a poll conducted by an independent research institute on Russian citizens in late October, 59% of respondents said they did not want vaccination when the vaccine was voluntary and free, an increase of 4 points from the August survey.

In a poll conducted by the ruling United Russia party in October, 73% said they had no plans to get vaccinated.

President Putin (68) emphasized at an annual press conference on the 17th that the effects of Sputnik V had been proven, and emphasized that "there is no reason not to get vaccinated."

But he admitted that he had not yet been vaccinated with Sputnik V, explaining that older people over the age of 60 were not advised to be vaccinated.

              So, it is interesting to note that even some Russian medical staff themselves have no confidence in the vaccine produced by its own country. People’s trust is important for a government to push forward its policies smoothly. Vaccination is a medial as well as a political issue.

隨著工廠的喚醒，中國的冬天使清潔能源轉型變得有寒意

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

China's winter chills clean energy transition as factories fire up

Reuters Wed., December 23, 2020, 8:49 p.m. PST

By Muyu Xu, Stella Qiu and Emily Chow

BEIJING/YIWU, China (Reuters) - China's harsh winter and stunning manufacturing recovery this year have pushed up electricity demand across the country's industrial belt, complicating Beijing's drive to cut businesses' power usage and their reliance on polluting coal-fired energy.

The surge in demand also comes as the cold hampers the ability of renewable energy to fill the gap left by a severe coal shortage, raising doubts about the reliability of cleaner sources to power the world's second-largest economy during critical periods.

In Zhejiang province, an economic powerhouse in eastern China, cities including Wenzhou and Yiwu told factories to scale back production and government departments were told not to turn on heat unless temperatures fall below 3 Celsius.

"We're already running late in fulfilling our orders and now the government wants us to shut down for one day every three days. This is not helping at all," said a factory owner in Yiwu, declining to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.

Meanwhile, the southern provinces of Hunan and Jiangxi also imposed curbs on factory and residential power usage.

Across China, November power consumption rose 9% from a year earlier, with industrial demand up 10%, fuelled by a resurgent economy and a 21% increase in exports to meet COVID-driven demand for electronics, protective gear and other goods.

Coal supplies, meanwhile, are tight despite record domestic output in November as a runaway economic recovery sucks up power.

The municipality of Jinhua, which includes Yiwu, missed its energy efficiency targets during the first three quarters of this year and all of last year, according to its statistics bureau, and the rationing is part of efforts to meet targets.

At the Heart of Yiwu Mall, lights, escalators and heating were shut off, store employees said. While the lights and escalators were restarted this week, the heat was not, forcing shop staff to rug up in winter coats.

The restrictions came into force on Dec. 13, and two Yiwu factory owners said they were told it would last until the end of the year.

To address localised power shortages, Beijing has urged coal miners to ramp up output and energy firms to diversify gas sources. It has also allowed customs to clear imported coal that had built up at ports during the summer due to unofficial import quotas aimed at supporting local producers.

While Australian coal has reportedly been excluded from customs clearances, it accounts for less than 3% of China's total thermal coal usage.

Daily coal use at major coal-fired plants in eight coastal provinces in eastern China was up 20% annually last week, according to China-based CCTD consultancy.

Coal inventories at those utilities were at 87% of 2019 levels, less than 15 days' worth of consumption. China's general coal inventory at major power plants in coastal regions could support consumption for 23 days, state TV reported this week.

KING COAL

Coal still dominates Chinese power generation, accounting for nearly 60% of supply.

Despite long-time efforts to switch to cleaner energy, China's power grid remains largely reliant on coal, to meet base-load demand, especially during the cold season when there is less hydropower and power supplies typically tighten.

"With the more ambitious renewables push, China will find its grid system facing bigger challenges to ensure firm capacity during peak times," said Lara Dong, senior power director at IHS Markit in Beijing.

In the southern provinces of Jiangxi and Hunan, which rely heavily on hydro and renewables, demand this season overwhelmed supply, with coal plants unable to fill the gap after local miners were shut due to environmental and safety reasons and national curbs on output earlier this year, crimping supply.

In Hunan, wind turbines were frozen by an early cold snap this month that brought ice and snow.

China aims to increase the share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption to around 25% by 2030, up from 15.3% in 2019, and aspires to reach carbon neutrality by 2060.

In August, Beijing rolled out a draft plan to encourage power producers to add storage facilities and better integrate their use of coal and other sources to ensure stability and flexibility of the grid.

Translation

北京/義烏（路透社）- 今年中國嚴酷的冬季和驚人的製造業復甦推動了該國整個工業帶的電力需求，使北京減少企業用電量和對污染燃煤能源的依賴變得更加複雜。

需求激增的同時間，嚴寒亦阻礙了可再生能源填補嚴重煤炭短缺所留下的缺口的能力，使人們清潔能源對在關鍵時期為世界第二大經濟體提供動力的的可靠性產生懷疑。

在中國東部的經濟重鎮浙江，溫州和義烏等城市都要求工廠縮減生產規模，政府部門被告知除非溫度降至攝氏3度以下，否則不要開啓暖氣。

義烏的一家工廠老闆, 由於事情的敏感性而拒絕透露姓名之下說：“我們在履行訂單方面已經很晚了，現在政府希望我們每三天關閉一天。這對事情完全沒有幫助”。

同時，南部省份湖南和江西也限制了工廠和居民用電。

在整個中國，十一月的電力消耗同比增長了9％，工業需求增長了10％，這是得益於經濟復甦以及出口增長21％以滿足COVID驅動的電子產品，防護裝備和其他商品的需求。

與此同時，儘管11月國內產量創紀錄，但煤炭供應仍然緊張，原因是失控的經濟復甦佔用了電力。

據統計局稱，包括義烏在內的金華市在今年前三個季度和去年全年都未能實現能源效率目標，而配給是實現目標的一部分嘗試。

商店員工說，在義烏購物中心，燈，自動扶梯和暖氣被關掉。雖然本週重新啟動了電燈和自動扶梯，但暖氣卻沒有重啟，這迫使商店的工作人員不得不穿上冬季外套。

這項限制措施於12月13日生效，義烏的兩名工廠老闆表示，他們被告知這將持續到今年年底。

為了解決局部電力短缺的問題，北京已敦促煤礦工人提高產量，並要求能源公司擴大天然氣來源。由於旨在支持當地生產者非官方的進口配額的煤，夏季在港口積了, 海關允許他們清關。

儘管澳大利亞煤炭已被排除在海關清關之外，但它僅佔中國動力煤使用總量的不到3％。

根據中國CCTD諮詢公司的數據，上週中國東部八個沿海省份的主要燃煤電廠的每日煤炭使用量每年增長20％。

這些公用事業公司的煤炭庫存量為2019年水平的87％，是不到15天的消耗量。國家電視台本週報導，中國沿海地區主要發電廠的一般煤炭庫存可能會支持23天的消費。

煤國王

煤炭仍然佔據著中國發電的主導地位，佔供應的近60％。

儘管長期努力轉向使用清潔能源，但中國的電網仍主要依靠煤炭來滿足基本負荷需求，尤其是在水力發電量較少而且輸送緊拙的寒冷季節。

IHS Markit北京高級電力總監Lara Dong表示： “隨著雄心勃勃推動可再生能源的，中國將發現其電網系統面臨更大的挑戰，以確保高峰時段的穩定容量。”

在江南和湖南這兩個主要依賴水力和可再生能源的省份，本季度需求供不應求。由於環境和安全原因當地礦工被叫停, 以及今年早些時候的全國產量限制，燃煤電廠無法填補缺口, 供應被壓縮。

在湖南，風力渦輪機因本月初帶來冰雪的寒冷天氣而結冰。

中國的目標是到2030年將非化石燃料在基本的能源消費中的比例從2019年的15.3％提高到25％左右，並力爭到2060年實現中性碳排放。

8月，北京推出了一項計劃草案，以鼓勵電力生產商增加儲能設施，並更好地整合煤炭和其他能源的使用，以確保電網的穩定性和靈活性。

       So, it is good news that China’s factory production has resumed normal, as reflected in its increased demand on electricity. Yet on the other hand, this incident shows that tight electricity supply could become a weak spot in China’s manufacturing industries due to its  effort to increase the share of non-fossil fuels and decrease coal consumption in electricity production.