Thailand: “To compensate for the loss of Chinese Tourism Market”

The following is an excerpt from Radio Thailand’s business news last night (UTC). The program was in English.

^{Better known as FM88 Radio Thailand now, but still on shortwave}

Its info that high hopes are placed on Indian tourists, detailing that there have been 600,000 visitors from India since borders reopened in July (compared to ten million Chinese visitors during all of 2019) may or may not be indicative for the overall significance of India as a tourism market for Thailand, but I guess that if Chinese tourists remain absent for a long time, Chinese influence in Thailand could also suffer to some extent. “Zero-Covid” comes at costs, not only at home, but also abroad.

Words or word groups I didn’t understand have been replaced by brackets.

The tourism confidence survey index for the 4th quarter of this year is up 70 from 65 from the last quarter. There is an air of confidence according to the Tourism Council of Thailand that recently unveiled its latest quarterly industry confidence index. It [..] states that a strong recovery from the industry players has been signaled and that business is ready to reclaim its confidence. As one of the countries fastest-growing sector […]. The survey revealed that the industry’s confidence during the 3rd quarter 2022 was up 65, and was expected to rise to 70 for the 4th quarter, noting that the 4th quarter being the sector’s high season and its best time to recover. The Tourism Council of Thailand says it expects tourist numbers in 2022 to be around five million – about two million more than the expected target.

With the latest industry survey, there is a resurgence of confidence that the sector could return to pre-Covid levels by as early as next year, further announcing that the country’s tourism numbers returned to its 40 million mark previously experienced pre-Covid-19. During pre-pandemic era, Thailand’s peak capacity was 39.9 million tourists recorded in 2019. This was the landmark year, when the sector contributed 20% of the country’s GDP.

China was the single largest tourist segment for Thailand with more than 10 million visitors in 2019, which has continued to impose restrictions, unfortunately, on outbound tourists […] thus leaving Thailand to look for new markets. To compensate for the loss of Chinese tourism market, Thailand has managed to attract Indian tourists, where the pandemic has prompted more tourists now to visit the country. India’s tourists have become the second-largest group after Malaysia, with more than 600,000 visitors recorded since the reopening its borders in July.

The Tourism Council of Thailand reported that in its survey revealed that the country’s tourism industry service and [..] businesses have begun recovering, in terms of bottomline. Recent industry reported that hotel [revenues?] has started returning by as much as 40% of pre-Covid level, while 87% of the business were back in full operation. […] [Shortage of workforce also mentioned.]

Despite the positive outlook for the industry and the rebound of the sector, [possibility of] slowdown due to the rising interest rates and […] recession which could dampen travel demand. […]

____________

Related

Long Yongtu & the Smiling Curve, May 17, 2012
____________
–

Hebei Province: a Sense of Frost

^{Click picture for “Jimu News” video}

The following is not a translation but my loose repetition of some of its content – JR

Main link: “near zero degrees”

“I never thought that the drop in temperature would be that hefty,” “Jimu News” quotes a farmer from Guyuan County, Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province.
There had been a blue alert of cold weather, issued by the Zhangjiakou Meteorological Obervatory on Thursday afternoon (August 25), saying that temperatures could be as low as 1 to 4° Celsius in Kangbao County, Guyuan County, Shangyi County among other places in the morning of Saturday (August 27), and suggested that farmers took precautions.

The farmer sensed frost when waking up and then found frozen water in the courtyard’s basin. Rushing to his fields, he found that leaves of zuchini as well as zuchini in its early stages had been killed.

“Jimu News” got similar accounts from other farmers, but does not quantify the overall damage done in the region. The quoted farmer estimates his personal damage at about 40,000 yuan, while in a normal year, he would have made 80,000 yuan RMB from 10 mu. This year, his picking season would end one month early.

A trader from Shandong Province is quoted with expecations of higher prices. Some kind of common beans (芸豆) are said to have been at 9.4 yuan per kilogram on Friday, but to have risen to over 14 yuan per kilogram by Saturday.^*) Some areas had even stopped production, the trader is quoted.

Also from the trader’s point of view, based on five years of his own activity, frost has been early by one month, as it would usually be expected in late September.

Some web pages with the “Jimu News” article have been removed. The above draws on news.cnhubei.com content (also removed), but it still seems to be available elsewhere.

____________

Notes

*)	除此之外，芸豆的产量和价格也受到了影响。“26号芸豆还是4块7一斤，今天7块多了，基本上一天涨一块。”刘华说，即便收购价格还不错，但当地芸豆产量也不多了。

____________

“People’s Daily” commentary: “The Greatest Global Humanitarian Relief Operation in the History of New China”

The following is a translation of an excerpt from an editorial by “People’s Daily” of June 7 (Sunday). The statistics used in the article had been given by Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi during a press conference last month. The greatest global humanitarian relief operation in the history of New China wording was his, too.

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s
13th NPC 3rd session press
conference, May 24, 2020

Main Link: People’s Daily commentator, Building a humankind hygiene and health community (共同构建人类卫生健康共同体)

Links within blockquotes added during translation.

[…]

At present, humankind is going through the most serious global public health crisis since the end of World War 2. After arduous and extraordinary efforts, after paying a huge price and after bearing major sacrifices, China has effectively brought the new corona pneumonia epidemic under control, and protected the lives, safety and health of the people. China has shown an attitude based on openness, transparency and sense of responsibility all along, by promptly informing the World Health Organization about the epidemic, releasing the virus gene sequence information right away, by sharing prevention, control and treatment experience with all sides and without retaining anything, and has done its best to provide countries in need with support and help. By the last third of May, China has provided nearly 150 countries and four international organizations with emergency aid, dispatched 26 medical expert groups to 26 countries in urgent need, held health experts video conferences with 170 countries and, under the precondition of assured quality, worked as hard as possible to produce scarce medical treatment products and equipment, among them 56.8 billion face masks and 250 million protective garments. This has been the greatest global humanitarian relief operation in the history of New China1), and international figures have pointed out that China’s holding fast to the concept of human destiny community2) is a display of high degree of responsibility, and that it deserves high praise from the international community.

[…]

[…..]

当前，人类正在经历二战结束以来最严重的全球公共卫生危机。经过艰苦卓绝努力，付出巨大代价，承受重大牺牲，中国有力控制住了新冠肺炎疫情，维护了人民生命安全和身体健康。中国始终本着公开、透明、负责任的态度，及时向世卫组织及相关国家通报疫情信息，第一时间发布病毒基因序列等信息，毫无保留同各方分享防控和救治经验，尽己所能为有需要的国家提供支持和帮助。截至5月下旬，中国已向将近150个国家和4个国际组织提供了紧急援助；向24个有紧急需求的国家派遣了26支医疗专家组，为170多个国家举办了卫生专家专题视频会议；还在保证质量的前提下，开足马力生产紧缺的医疗物资和设备，仅口罩和防护服就分别向世界出口了568亿只和2.5亿件。这是新中国历史上规模最大的一次全球紧急人道行动，国际人士指出，中国在这次全球公共卫生危机中秉持人类命运共同体理念，展现出高度的国际责任感，值得国际社会高度赞扬。

[…..]

____________

Notes

1)	“New China”, referring to the “People’s Republic”
2)	the usual English-language handle in sinicized English would be community with a shared destiny for mankind, or community of common destiny.

____________

Related

王毅：新中国历史上最大人道行动, JFDaily, May 24, 2020

____________

x

Hong Kong Security Secretary: “Terrorism breeding in HK, iron fact”

The following is a translation of an RTHK (Radio Television Hong Kong) report on yesterday’s LegCo security panel session. Translated off the cuff. If you find mistakes, please let me know.

Links within blockquote added during translation.

Police have said that from last year to now there have been 14 cases involving explosives, four cases of genuine arms, and 76 arrested, of who 30 had already been prosecuted. Security Bureau secretary John Lee Ka-chiu said that this illustrated that local terrorism was breeding in Hong Kong. He emphasized that counter-terrorism was a responsibility of the entire population, and called on the public to cooperate in law enforcement. The authorities would strike with the strictest laws.

警方說，去年至今出現14宗涉及爆炸品及4宗真槍的案件，共拘捕76人，30人已被檢控。保安局局長李家超說，顯示本土恐怖主義正在香港滋生，強調反恐是全民責任，呼籲公眾配合執法，當局會以最嚴厲的法律打擊。

At the Legislative Council’s Panel on Security meeting, John Lee Ka-chiu said he believed that in various violent [events] there had been financial funding organizations and assistance, such as supplies of helmets, gas masks, weapons and umbrellas, etc., and there had been cases where such material had been provided from ranks behind to the first lines. John Lee Ka-chiu described great numbers of resources, and a lot of related material left behind on the streets after insurrection. He believed that because of the authorities’ recent effective strikes, and maybe because of decreasing funding from abroad, such equipment had been reduced in recent violent incidents.

在立法會保安事務委員會會議上，李家超說，相信在不同暴力中都有資金提供組織及支援，例如提供頭盔、防毒面罩、武器和雨傘等，亦出現將有關物品由後方提供到前方的情況。李家超形容資源很多，而在暴動過後很多有關物品留在街上，他相信由於當局近期有效打擊，又或者是外來資金減少，近期暴力事件中，有關裝備已減少。

Legislative Council member Claudia Mo Man-ching asked the authorities to provide evidence for the cases mentioned, and asked if the authorities had been part of terrorism in the Yuen Long July 21 incident of last year. John Lee Ka-chiu retorted that the other side should not trivialize the violence and added that evidence would be seen in court, describing this as an iron fact.

議會陣線毛孟靜要求當局就提到的案件提供證據，又詢問當局去年元朗7.21事件是否屬本土恐怖主義。李家超反駁對方不要淡化暴力，又說上到法庭就會見到證物，形容是鐵一般的事實。

____________

Related

Attendance list, June 2, 2020
Background brief, June 2, 2020
For discussion, June 2, 2020

HK officers in Xinjiang, SCMP, Jan 9, 2019

____________

Updates/Related

“Riding roughshod,” RTHK, Jul 4, 2020

____________

Have a Guess why WHO Director-General Tedros thinks he’s right

First off, I want you to know that I have signed this petition, and that I would like to encourage you to sign it, too. My main reason to ask for Dr. Tedros’ resignation is that he supports a policy of locking more than 20 million Taiwanese people out of the World Health Organization (WHO). That scandal didn’t start with his tenure, and has been WHO policy for a long time, but it is now exacting a price in terms of global health. Taiwan could share its eperience in a so far successful fight against COVID-19. Taiwan could also contribute financially. Taiwan seems to have warned the WHO on December 31, in an email query to the organization. And the WHO leadership appears to be unwilling to take this into account and make a wiser decision than in the past.

I don’t feel a personal dislike for Tedros, and I think that many “social media” remarks about him are inappropriate, and actually false assertions.

Bloody hell, Mr. Ghebreyesus! These are busy times for you, of course, but you really need to work on your curtsies! pic.twitter.com/jcRoletFln

— JR's China Blog (@JRsChinaBlog1) March 25, 2020

But every public official must be accountable to the people he serves, or claims to serve. That’s why I believe that the WHO’s director general should clear the way for a successor with a more inclusive policy than his.

It doesn’t help when people insult each other. Above all, character assassination blinds for the more likely facts and factors in political processes. Both sides are wrong when accusing each other of “politicizing” issues. WHO is inevitably about politics, because it depends on the funding of governments with very different interests, and different economic capabilities to contribute to the WHO’s work. The demands of the world’s poorest, as elementary and obvious as they may be, are also political. And China’s cover-up approach is political, too. Everything is politics – that’s no suitable swearword to use for either WHO officials, or their critics.

It is true however that when you look at the mere numbers – in million US-$ -, China’s influence on the WHO doesn’t seem to make sense:

member state	fees1)	voluntary2)	total
USA	57.9	401.1	459.0
China	28.7	16.9	45.6
Japan	20.5	46.7	67.2
Germany	14.6	89.9	104.5
United Kingdom	10.9	163.7	174.6

Then why the WHO’s understatement when China covered up their SARS-2 cases, why the blind eyes to Taiwan’s warning query in December 31 (not to mention the WHO’s discrimination of Taiwan in general), and why the WHO director-general’s generally meek interaction with Beijing?

• Trump is toying with the idea of reducing America’s contributions. Any WHO director general has to plan ahead, especially when the organizations main stakeholder becomes unreliable.
• Tedros is probably convinced that he is doing the right thing by chumming up to China. Losing people to disease is unacceptable for him, and that much is credible. There is no way that WHO can enforce transparency on the ground – be it in China, be it in any other countries, though smaller countries may be more susceptible to pressure. And conceited leaders (like China’s) are more susceptible to flattery. (That, of course, doesn’t make it right to help them downplay a crisis, neither knowingly nor unknowingly. But it may become a more understandable approach, when you keep in mind that understanding something isn’t the same thing as condoning it.)
• Then there is a – supposed – trend. While Taiwan would probably contribute as much today as does China, it could be different in future. That’s what most in the global political class expect to happen. They may have to think again – China is regularly overestimated. While questionable statistics have often help its image among foreigners, forgery will backfire when it does damage to the faithful foreigners’ home countries. (Never mind a million “extremist” inmates in Chinese internment camps – that’s far, far away.)

It makes no sense to demonize Tedros. He isn’t much different from most national or business leaders when it comes to dealing with China. The difference of course is that national leaders are usually held accountable, sometimes more, sometimes less, but more so than heads of international institutions. That’s why African politicians do criticize China for the way Africans have been treated in Guangzhou, while Tedros, who had shortly before tried to mobilize African public opinion in his favor and against “Taiwanese racism” remains oddly silent now.

But of course, it makes no sense to defend Tedros’ policies, either.

I would still prefer some civility in the effort to make him go. One doesn’t need to hate or disdain a man who oppose him. Rather, you can oppose him more effectively when you try to understand him and his supporters.
____________

Notes

¹⁾ Source for obligatory contributions
²⁾ Source for voluntary contributions
____________

Li Keqiang: Unlike SARS, COVID-19 is unlikely to disappear all of a sudden

The following is a translation of an article published by the Chinese State Council on March 24

Original title / main link
Li Keqian: All regions must report the epidemic situation realistically and transparently, and must not conceal or leave out anything ( 李克强：各地要实事求是公开透明发布疫情信息，不得瞒报漏报 )

“All regions must report the epidemic situation realistically^*) and transparently, and must not conceal or leave out anything.” Member of the politburo’s standing committee, chief state councillor, and central small leading group to counter the new coronavirus infection pneumonia epidemic group leader Li Keqiang emphasized that “seeking truth from the facts refers to do the prevention and control work in a focused way, and once an epidemic situation is discovered, accurate control must be carried out immediately, make sure that the range of territory which needs to be controlled for cases and possible infections is big enough to be effective. Openness and transparency means that once a case is discovered, it is reported, and whatever it is, it is. Nothing must be concealed or left out.”

“各地要实事求是、公开透明发布疫情信息。” 中共中央政治局常委、国务院总理、中央应对新冠肺炎疫情工作领导小组组长李克强3月23日在领导小组会议上强调，“实事求是是指有针对性地做好防控，一旦发现疫情，第一时间进行精准管控，把病例和可能传播的场所控制在有效范围；公开透明就是指发现一例报告一例，是什么就是什么，不得瞒报漏报。”

Li Keqiang pointed out that while the national epidemic situation with Wuhan as the main battleground had basically been blocked by now, the risk of sporadic transmission cases and local epidemic outbreaks continues to exist, and in addition, there was a major epidemic globally. The situation therefore remained complicated and serious. By data patterns established by epidemiologists at home and abroad, by trends scientifically researched and judged, it is widely believed that this time’s epidemic is unlikely to disappear all of a sudden, like SARS did at that time. We must therefore be mentally prepared for still more difficult and lasting prevention and control.

李克强指出，当前，以武汉市为主战场的全国本土疫情传播已基本阻断，但零星散发病例和局部暴发疫情的风险仍然存在，加之疫情在全球出现大流行，形势依然复杂严峻。国内外流行病学专家通过建立各类数据模型，对疫情走势进行科学研判，普遍认为，此次疫情不大可能像当年SARS那样突然消失。因此，我们必须做好更加艰巨、更加持久的疫情防控思想准备。

“We can see from the current epidemic situation that that national and foreign experts’ analysis is scientifically founded,” the chief state councillor  said. He said that “this has made the prevention and control work more serious and challenging for us. Although the domestic epidemic situation has been basically blocked by now, that doesn’t mean that there won’t be further sporadic cases of infections spreading. We must resolutely contain the local outbreaks of epidemic situations by practically carrying out the measures of ‘early detection’, ‘early reporting’, ‘early quarantine’, and ‘early treatment’, and keep it from breaking out on an even larger scale.”

“从当前疫情形势看，国内外专家们的分析是有科学依据的。”总理说，“这为我们防控工作提出了更加严峻的挑战。虽然目前国内本土疫情传播已基本阻断，但这并不意味着零星散发病例就不再出现。必须把‘早发现、早报告、早隔离、早治疗’的防控措施落实到位，坚决遏制疫情在局部、甚至更大范围再次爆发。”

Li Keqiang pointed out that currently, most regions continued to report zero new daily confirmed cases, and this was, of course, was what the masses expected. However, one had to bear in mind that statistical data had to be true and accurate and there had to be no strives to report zero cases by concealment and omission.

李克强指出，目前全国大部分地区连续数日新增确诊病例零报告，这当然是人民群众期盼的。但要切记，疫情统计数据一定要及时真实准确，千万不能为追求零报告而瞒报漏报。

Li Keqiang emphasized that prevention and control of infections must always maintain the principles of seeking truth in the facts, openness, and transparency. That way, the masses could develop a more vigilant and active consciousness for being on their guard, and in turn, this wold be beneficial to preventive and control measures to be in place, thus keeping the epidemic situation from emerging once again.

李克强强调，传染病防控必须始终坚持实事求是、公开透明的原则，这样人民群众就会增加警惕性和主动防范的自觉性，反过来这也有利于防控措施落实到位，进而防止疫情出现反弹。

____________

Note

^*) literally: all places must report the epidemic situation by seeking the truth in the facts, and transparently, …

____________

COVID-19, new Diagnostics, statistical Effects, and some Leap of Faith

China’s explanation that a jump in the number of new COVID-19 infections can be explained with new diagnostic methods is meeting with a leap of faith in official Kiev. Radio Ukraine International, via WRMI on February 14 (Febr 13 local time in the US) reported in its “Ukrainian Perspective” program that

[a]s of February 13, 60,331 confirmed cases of the novel corona virus COVID-19, including 1,369 lethal cases, have been registered worldwide. The Ukrainian health ministry attributes the [ .. not readable] increase in the number of COVID-19 cases to a new diagnostic method deployed in the Hubei province. In addition to the test and specific symtoms screening, the method includes computer-assisted lung tomography to help detect pneumonia caused by the virus. So far, there have been no confirmed laboratory cases in in Ukraine, the health ministry reported on Thursday.
[…]

The report in full – with some shortwave background noise – can be found under the following link for a while. Please click the icon.

The report also quotes Ukraine’s prime minister, who addressed the issue of evacuating Ukrainians from Hubei province, and possible health risks for Ukraine that needed to be ruled out when the evacuations were carried out.

German television’s flagship news program “Tagesschau”, with a status in Germany comparable to “Xinwen Lianbo’s” in China, also attributed the rise in statistically recorded cases to the new diagnostic measures in a report on Thursday, but took a more distanced stance in the second part of the report, when addressing “revised diagnostic results” (“überarbeitete” Diagnoseergebnisse) announced by Hubei’s provincial government.

Chinese Foreign Ministry’s online press conference on Friday, foreign-support statistics

Translation Chinese-English, main Link: 外交部：已有33个国家政府和4个国际组织向中方提供了疫情防控医疗物资

China Daily, February 14, reporter Zhou Jin — Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a regular press conference, conducted online, that 33 national governments and 4 international organizations have supplied China with medical goods for preventing and controlling the epidemic situation.

中国日报2月14日电（记者 周瑾）外交部发言人耿爽14日在网上例行记者会上表示，已有33个国家政府和4个国际组织向中方提供了疫情防控医疗物资，中方对于来自国际社会，特别是来自其他发展中国家的真诚友善的支持和帮助表示欢迎和感谢。

A reporter asked: Can you make public how many national governments have supplied China with medical goods for preventing and controlling the epidemic situation?

有记者问：你能否透露截至目前有多少国家的政府向中方提供抗疫援助物资?

Geng Shuang said that facing the epidemic, China mainly relies on its own strength, and we have the confidence and abilities to do that. At the same time, we express our welcome and thanks for international community’s support and help, particularly from other developing countries.

耿爽表示，面对疫情，中方主要依靠自身的力量应对，我们对此有信心、有能力。同时，对于来自国际社会，特别是来自其他发展中国家的真诚友善的支持和帮助，我们都表示欢迎和感谢。

Geng Shuang explained that according to our diplomatic channels, 33 national governments and 4 international organizations have supplied China with medical goods for preventing and controlling the epidemic situation, including Algeria, Australia, Belarus, Cambodia, Canada, Egypt, France, Germany, Ghana, Hungary, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Suriname, Tajikistan, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the USA, Uzbakistan, Vietnam, the European Union, UNICEF, the United Nations Development Program, and the International Organization for Migration.

耿爽介绍说，根据我们从外交渠道掌握的情况，截至2月14日中午12时，已有33个国家政府和4个国际组织向中方提供了疫情防控医疗物资，包括：阿尔及利亚、澳大利亚、白俄罗斯、柬埔寨、加拿大、埃及、法国、德国、加纳、匈牙利、印度尼西亚、伊朗、意大利、日本、韩国、哈萨克斯坦、马来西亚、尼泊尔、新西兰、巴基斯坦、菲律宾、俄罗斯、新加坡、苏里南、塔吉克斯坦、泰国、特立尼达和多巴哥、土耳其、阿联酋、英国、美国、乌兹别克斯坦、越南，欧盟、联合国儿童基金会、联合国开发计划署、国际移民组织。

According to his explanations, 17 national governments and 1 international organization had relevant medical supplies to China, including Austria, Brazil, the Republic of Congo (Congo-Brazzaville), Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Norway, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Slovenia, and the United Nations Population Fund.

据他介绍，有17个国家政府和1个国际组织宣布将向中方提供相关医疗物资，包括：奥地利、巴西、刚果（布）、哥斯达黎加、捷克、丹麦、厄瓜多尔、爱沙尼亚、肯尼亚、吉尔吉斯斯坦、拉脱维亚、挪威、巴勒斯坦、卡塔尔、沙特阿拉伯、塞尔维亚、斯洛文尼亚，联合国人口基金。

He said that the governments of Chile, Equatorial Guinea, North Korea, the Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Vanuatu, and the United Nations’ institutions in China had also given China financial and material support. Many people from many countries’ societies, from all walks of life, overseas Chinese, Chinese-invested companies, Chinese overseas students etc. had also given a lot of support in a number of ways.

他称，此外，智利、赤道几内亚、朝鲜、马尔代夫、蒙古、缅甸、瓦努阿图等国政府和联合国驻华机构也向中方提供了其他形式的资金和物质支持。很多国家社会各界友好人士、华侨华人、中资企业、中国留学生等也通过各种方式提供了大量支持。

他称，此外，智利、赤道几内亚、朝鲜、马尔代夫、蒙古、缅甸、瓦努阿图等国政府和联合国驻华机构也向中方提供了其他形式的资金和物质支持。很多国家社会各界友好人士、华侨华人、中资企业、中国留学生等也通过各种方式提供了大量支持。

____________

Related

Lesson of the Widow’s Mite, Wiki, last edit Jan 8

____________