CHINA DAILY | HONG KONG EDITION Tuesday, January 19, 2021 | 3 TOP NEWS US: Biden City’s COVID seen as likely to change test results to unilateral approach be rechecked From page 1 Governor of Hebei makes pledge after “These actions are just a prel­ ude to more corrective actions in testing agency fails to report new patients the future,” Xu said. Over the past few years, the US By ZHANG YU in Shijiazhuang the outbreak would be tough. government has enacted some and ZHOU HUIYING in Harbin The province will continue to policies without careful consid­ strengthen its tracking measures, and eration, he said, which caused The results of nucleic acid testing focus on analysis of key areas, cases adverse effects to the global com­ conducted by different agencies in and critical clues to trace the source. munity and are also not entirely Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, will Hebei designated Xinle, a county­ in the interests of the US. Thus, be rechecked to ensure that no one level city neighboring Gaocheng more corrections to important was left out and guarantee that the district in Shijiazhuang, and Nan­ policies are definitely expected, data was correct in the city, officials gong in Xingtai as high­risk areas Xu said. said on Monday. on Monday night. As of Monday, The US now faces multiple Hebei Governor Xu Qin made the there were four such areas in the crises, including the pandemic, pledge on Monday morning several country, with three in Hebei and a ravaged economy, climate hours after Xingtai, another hard­hit one in Heilongjiang. change and racial tensions. city in the province, reported three While Hebei is working hard to Ron Klain, Biden’s choice for positive results that had been delib­ contain the spread of the virus, chief of staff, outlined the presi­ erately omitted by its testing agency. provinces in northeastern China dent­elect’s plans on Sunday to Jinan Huaxi Medical Testing Co, have also reported new cases. CNN, saying that Biden will a company from Jinan in Shand­ Jilin province reported 30 new Rescuers communicate with miners trapped in a gold mine in Qixia, Shandong province, on Monday. deliver “a message of moving this ong province, was appointed by locally transmitted confirmed cases Twenty­two miners have been trapped underground since an explosion on Jan 10 at the Hushan country forward” and “a message Xingtai’s Longyao county to test of COVID­19 and 17 asymptomatic gold mine. WANG KAI / XINHUA of unity” in his inaugural speech 314,987 of its residents during a carriers on Sunday, according to the on Wednesday. second round of citywide testing provincial health commission. Among a dozen actions that last week. The province has launched an Biden will take on his first day The company reported that all of its investigation of health clubs that may in the White House are rejoin­ samples were negative on Thursday, be part of superspreading events, aft­ Rescuers talk with trapped miners ing the Paris Agreement on cli­ when it hadn’t actually completed the er more than 100 COVID­19 cases mate change, reversing Trump’s testing, according to a news confer­ were traced to a 45­year­old sales­ By ZHAO RUIXUE ed down through the shaft, he said. believed to be trapped there. ban on people from certain ence on Sunday night in Xingtai. man who tested positive on Saturday. in Qixia, Shandong The trapped workers attached a Rescuers banged on the drill rod Muslim majority countries However, the government in [email protected] handwritten note to the wire on to send a signal, but have not yet from entering the US and Longyao later confirmed that the Cluster infections Sunday describing a high concen­ received a response, the rescue addressing the raging coronavi­ county had two COVID­19 patients The salesman, surnamed Lin, held Rescuers were able on Monday to tration of smoke and a large headquarters said. rus pandemic by issuing a mask and an asymptomatic carrier. four workshops in health clubs in speak for the first time with some of amount of water where they are Du Bingjian, chief engineer of the mandate. Because of the three cases, a lock­ Gongzhuling and Tonghua, Jilin, the 22 miners trapped under­ trapped. National Mine Emergency Rescue Biden will also ask Congress to down was introduced in the county between Jan 8 and 11, resulting in clus­ ground since an explosion on Jan 10 The note said that they are Center, said, “This mine has the act swiftly on a $1.9 trillion virus and it started the third round of ter infections involving more than 100 at the Hushan gold mine in Qixia, exhausted and in urgent need of hardest rock I have ever known, relief bill to revive the economy. mass testing on Monday, with the people, many of them senior citizens. Shandong province. medical supplies. along with two strata that contain He plans to immediately speed results due to be released on Tuesday. Gongzhuling started to carry out They were able to make contact “We hope the rescue continues. water, which hinders the drilling.” up vaccine rollouts across the The testing company’s manager mass testing on Monday, and its res­ after a communication device was We remain hopeful, thank you,” said Rescuers are drilling a wide shaft US, as the coronavirus has has been detained by police and a idents were ordered to stay at home passed down to the trapped work­ the note. through which the trapped miners caused some 400,000 deaths and further investigation is underway. in self­quarantine. ers, the rescue headquarters The explosion that trapped 22 can be returned to the surface, Du continues to take its toll. “The virus control work in Hebei The recent local transmission in reported at a news conference on miners underground more than said. has entered a key stage, and all relat­ Jilin came after asymptomatic carri­ Monday. 600 meters from the mine entrance Meanwhile, rescuers are clearing Respect for globalization ed measures should be carried out ers returned from neighboring Hei­ Chen Fei, mayor of Yantai, which occurred at 2 pm on Jan 10 at the debris that is blocking the shaft pre­ Tian Dewen, deputy director to the letter,” Xu said. longjiang province, which has seen administers Qixia, said at the news Hushan gold mine in Qixia. viously used by the workers to enter of the Institute of European The province identified 54 new infections climbing. conference that 12 of the trapped Before the food arrived, the and exit the mine. Studies at the Chinese Academy locally confirmed COVID­19 cases As of Sunday, Heilongjiang had miners have now been located. trapped miners had been living on More than 530 rescuers and 30 of Social Sciences, said Biden’s and six asymptomatic carriers on reported 145 confirmed cases and Meanwhile, rescuers are aware of a muddy water for days, Beijing volunteers are working around the policies will differ from those of Sunday, increasing its caseload of 243 asymptomatic carriers since Jan 12th man in an adjacent space but News quoted a rescuer as saying clock in shifts at the site. Liu Jiayi, Trump. While Trump advocates confirmed patients to 769 and 10, when the first asymptomatic car­ have yet to communicate with him. earlier. Party secretary of Shandong, visited unilateralism, Biden’s policies asymptomatic carriers under medi­ rier of the current outbreak was Ten other miners remain missing, After initial contact was made the site again on Monday to urge reflect a greater respect for glo­ cal observation to 182. reported in Suihua’s Wangkui coun­ he added. with the trapped miners on Sunday, rescuers to save the workers with balization and cooperation. The daily number of newly con­ ty, according to the provincial health The workers are weak. Rescuers a week after the blast, a new hole every method that can be used. “After Biden enters the White firmed cases in Hebei fell for the sec­ commission. have sent down nutritional supple­ was drilled early on Monday, reach­ An investigation has been House, the most important ond consecutive day, down from 72 ments and other supplies, including ing a section 698 meters from the opened to determine the cause of thing domestically should be on Saturday and 90 on Friday. Han Junhong in Changchun medical supplies, on a wire thread­ mine’s entrance. More miners are the blast. combating the COVID­19 pan­ An epidemiological survey is contributed to the story. demic, which has severely underway with experts from other affected the country,” he said. areas including Beijing and Jiangsu Contact the writers at “Globally, he is likely to mend province. [email protected] Growth: Stimulus ‘tools’ available if needed ties with allies, readjust diplo­ Speaking in Shijiazhuang on Sun­ matic policies toward other day, Gao Fu, head of the Chinese Cen­ Inside countries and rejoin global ter for Disease Control and Prevention, From page 1 rose by 7.1 percent last year, outpac­ prospects, officials and experts organizations.” said that tracking down the source of Editorial, page 8 ing the 2.8 percent growth for the highlighted the need to be wary of With extraordinary security Per capita disposable income whole industrial sector, according mounting uncertainties, especial­ concerns enveloping Washing­ grew by 2.1 percent in real terms to to the NBS. Investment in high­ ly the pandemic situation and geo­ ton, the city is under the watch 32,189 yuan in 2020, with income tech industries grew by 10.6 per­ political tensions. of thousands of National Guard Beijing’s Daxing district growth for rural residents coming in cent in 2020, versus 2.9 percent of troops ahead of Biden’s swear­ at 3.8 percent and outpacing their total fixed­asset investment. Uncertainties to recovery ing­in on Wednesday. The aim urban counterparts, the bureau said. As the economy embarks on the Recent local resurgence of is to avoid a repeat of what hap­ has 2 new local virus cases “The narrowing income gap 14th Five­Year Plan (2021­25), COVID­19 cases in some areas has pened when crowds of Trump between urban and rural residents, which turns self­reliance in science brought uncertainties to future supporters stormed the US in tandem with the quicker sales of and technology into a strategic pil­ economic recovery, but the Capitol on Jan 6, resulting in By DU JUAN However, on Jan 11, he took subway goods related to consumption lar for national development, impact should be limited as the five deaths. [email protected] lines 4 and 1 to go to work. upgrades in the fourth quarter, sig­ investment in innovation and new country has established plans to To secure Biden’s inaugura­ Both of the patients with con­ naled that consumption upgrading types of infrastructure will be rapidly contain the spread and tion, the FBI will vet all of the Two new local COVID­19 cases firmed cases were transported to will percolate to lower­tier cities stepped up this year, experts said. minimize related economic loss­ 25,000 National Guard troops were reported on Sunday in Beijing’s Ditan Hospital for treatment. All 43 and rural areas, creating new Iris Pang, chief China economist es, said Ning of the NBS. entering Washington for the Daxing district, prompting imple­ identified close contacts are under growth points of consumption,” at Dutch bank ING, said she expects “For this year, should global event, fearing that some who mentation of strict virus control and medical observation. said Cheng Shi, chief economist at active fiscal stimulus in 2021 to sup­ growth not recover, policymakers in are supposed to safeguard the prevention measures, officials said. In the male patient’s case, 17 close ICBC International. port technology research and devel­ China still have the tools to imple­ event might become an inside Xu Hejian, spokesman for the contacts were tested and all results Accelerating digitalization should opment, companies in difficulties ment stimulus support, especially threat to the president­elect municipal government, said at a were negative. All 597 environmen­ be another key structural improve­ and the development of green ener­ given that relative to other central and others attending the event. news conference on Monday that tal samples from his workplace test­ ment in 2020 that will help bolster gy, while monetary policy is expect­ bankers last year, they were very “We’re continually going the city is still facing a complicated ed negative and the area was high­quality development this year, ed to remain unchanged given an conservative with easing measures,” through the process, and taking situation for epidemic control, and disinfected. experts said, with the use of 5G, upbeat growth picture. said Catherine Yeung, investment second, third looks at every one people should still be aware of the Control measures have been intelligent technologies and the China’s GDP is expected to grow director at Fidelity International, a of the individuals assigned to risks and act with caution. implemented at the office building internet of things to further inject by 12 percent year­on­year in the global asset manager. this operation,” Army Secretary In the recent weeks, local cases where the female patient’s daughter economic momentum. first quarter of 2021 and 7 percent Ryan McCarthy told The Associ­ have been found mainly in Shunyi works, and epidemiological investi­ The value­added output of for the whole year, Pang said. Chen Jia and Shi Jing contributed ated Press on Sunday, adding and Chaoyang districts in Beijing. gation work is taking place. high­tech manufacturing sectors Despite promising growth to this story. that they haven’t seen any evi­ The two cases reported on Sunday The residential community dence of threats yet. were both living in the Ronghui resi­ where the two confirmed patients Supporters of Trump have dential community in Daxing. live has been under closed manage­ made quiet protests at state cap­ The community was designated ment since 3 pm on Sunday, Han Icy dip itols across the country, and as a medium­risk area for COVID­19 Xinxing, executive deputy head of Bathers rinse off after swim­ only small groups of armed epidemic control and prevention as Daxing district, said at the news ming in Lianyungang, Jiang­ demonstrators appearing in of Monday, said Liu Xiaofeng, depu­ conference. su province, on Sunday. The states such as Ohio, Texas and ty director of the Beijing Center for Authorities have started nucleic women, who are in their 40s, Oregon. Disease Control and Prevention. acid testing for people living in near­ 50s and 60s, go winter swim­ Xu said that he is positive that The first patient, a 63­year­old by residential communities and ming every day because it there will be a smooth inaugu­ woman, had received a nucleic acid have taken environmental samples can help to boost their ration in Washington on test on Saturday at a medical institu­ for tests in surrounding key areas. immune system. Wednesday, although small pro­ tion since she had planned to leave By 3 pm on Monday, 131,235 sam­ WANG CHUN / FOR CHINA DAILY tests are likely to continue in the city, Liu said. The result came ples from residents and 2,014 envi­ other states. back positive on Sunday. ronmental samples from the “The rioters of the Jan 6 event The other patient, a man, 46, had community had been collected. will have to bear legal responsi­ been tested on Sunday because he The school attended by the grand­ bility, which has a deterrent was identified as a close contact of child of the positive female patient effect on others,” he said. the first patient, and the result was has been disinfected and all of its positive. He works in another dis­ students and teachers are subject to Agencies contributed to trict and usually goes to work by car. health monitoring at home. this story.