Beijing is to drop its Covid test requirement and quotas, and Hong Kong has launched a free flights campaign to lure back visitors

China's dropping of travel curbs resurrected services activity in January for the first time in five months. It also sent business confidence to near 12-year highs, a Caixin/S&P Global survey found

President Xi Jinping warned this week that China must speed up moves to become self-reliant in science and technology "to prevent being strangled by foreign countries"

Mining giant Rio Tinto apologized for the health safety scare triggered by the temporary loss of the radioactive capsule by a contractor carrying it from a mine in the north to Perth

Economists wary about figures for January, saying strong holiday consumption has flattered the PMI report and that export orders have got worse

Approximately half of the small industries surrounding Delhi now use biomass, up from 15% in 2020

Visitors from the mainland have swarmed into the former Portuguese enclave over the Lunar New Year break, after China dropped its Covid travel curbs

Bangkok is expecting at least five million Chinese tourist arrivals this year – still less than half of their pre-pandemic numbers

Luxury spending by Chinese nationals dipped from 33% of the worldwide personal luxury goods market in 2019 to 17% last year

Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Russia, Cuba and a range of other countries are all expected to see group tours from China, starting early next month

The toll update, from China's Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, comes amid doubts over Beijing's data transparency and is very low by global standards.

Thailand is forecast to see holiday spending reach its highest since 2019 as Chinese visitors return to the tourist hub