Global Developments and Analysis: Weekly Monitor, 29 March - 04 April 2021

Economic

Red-Hot U.S. Economy a Mixed Blessing for Rest of World

A powerful recovery in the U.S., primed by massive government spending and a rapid vaccine rollout, is already rippling around the world, brightening the economic prospects for countries closely tied to the American economy. But economists say the coming U.S. boom could presage a two-speed recovery from the extraordinary economic downturn of the past year, a schism that threatens to open fissures in the global economy. While lockdowns and Covid-19 restrictions hit many economies last year in roughly equal measure, early evidence shows that the exit from the pandemic could be greatly lopsided. Rich countries and some export-driven economies are already enjoying the early fruits of successful vaccine campaigns and resurgent growth. Instead, poor nations are seeing nascent signs of capital outflows being lured to rich countries. Meanwhile, those countries face a long wait for vaccines and some are suffering fresh Covid-19 waves that leave them cut off from the travel and tourism flows that have supported their economies in recent years. The U.S. economy is expected to grow by around 6.5% this year, the fastest since 1984.
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Pakistan U-turns on resuming trade with India, says New Delhi must restore special status of disputed Kashmir first

The decision to allow imports of sugar, cotton and wheat from India, seen as a sign of thawing in relations between Islamabad and New Delhi, has been deferred by Pakistan and tied to the status of the disputed Kashmir region.Just a day earlier, the Pakistani government’s economic committee had said that limited imports of cheaper items from India would be approved in a bid to tackle high inflation and shortages of some essential goods amid the harsh economic climate sparked by the Covid-19 pandemic. Islamabad suspended trade and diplomatic ties with India in 2019 in response to New Delhi’s move to revoke the special status, or limited autonomy, of the Muslim-majority region of Kashmir, which is disputed between the two neighbouring nuclear powers. However, when Pakistani ministers gathered on April 01 for a meeting on Indian imports, chaired by PM Imran Khan, the political element came to the fore. The decision to resume trade with India has now been postponed until it restores Kashmir’s special status, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi announced after the session.
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Suez Canal Backlog Clears, and Maritime Traffic Returns to Normal

Suez Canal authorities said April 03 they have cleared the massive traffic backlog that resulted when a giant container ship got stuck and blocked the important waterway, disrupting global trade. More than 400 vessels that were waiting at the northern and southern ends of the 120-mile waterway on March 23 when the Ever Given ran aground have passed through the canal since March 29, authorities said. New ships were entering the waterway, returning movement to normal, they said, and marking the end of a 12-day saga that upended the maritime shipping industry and strained already struggling global supply lines. The unblocking has eased the passage of ships carrying everything from oil and gas to consumer goods and livestock. While the canal’s average daily traffic totals 40 to 50 ships, the Suez Canal Authority, which manages the waterway, said 85 vessels crossed April 03. Leth Agencies, a ship-services provider in the canal, said 527 vessels had cleared the waterway since March 29. Some 61 new vessels were awaiting northbound transit from the Red Sea and 59 ships waiting to move south from the Mediterranean, as of April 04, it said.
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Google Expects to Reopen U.S. Offices Over Next Month

Google said staff may start returning to some of its U.S. offices over the next month, another indication of how companies are preparing for a more normalized environment as Covid-19 vaccinations pick up.The search-engine giant owned by Alphabet Inc. said March 31 the initial return period will be voluntary as offices begin to reopen but with capacity limits, according to an email from Google’s top people executive Fionna Cicconi. The company is advising workers to get vaccinated against Covid 19, but isn’t making it mandatory for returning to the workplace. A number of big companies have said they will test so-called hybrid work arrangements, where employees split their time between home and office. Amazon.com Inc. said this week that it believes most of its U.S. staff will be back in the office by the early fall according to a blog post. Twitter Inc., however, has said it will allow most employees to work from home permanently. Some companies including JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Salesforce. com Inc. have moved to get rid of chunks of their office space.
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U.S. Senators Ask Digital-Ad Auctioneers to Name Foreign Clients Amid National-Security Concerns

A bipartisan group of lawmakers is asking questions about the inner workings of digital advertising amid worries the industry’s user-targeting capabilities could pose a threat to national security. When anyone loads a webpage, a digital-ad auction occurs in seconds to determine which personalized ads the person will see. During that auction, the user’s personal data—including location, browsing history and demographic details—may be sent to hundreds of companies bidding on the ad slots. The barriers to join these auctions are low, and any company participating in the auction can access user information without having to bid. On April 02, a group of U.S. senators led by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D., Ore.) sent a letter to the largest companies running these auctions— AT&T Inc., Index Exchange Inc., Alphabet Inc.’s Google, Magnite Inc., OpenX Software Ltd., PubMatic Inc., Twitter Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. —asking them what steps they take to make sure companies joining the auctions do so for the sole purpose of buying ad slots. They also asked the companies to provide the names of all foreign clients who had access to user data through auctions over the past three years.
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Foreign diplomats flee North Korea amid food and drug shortages

Diplomats and humanitarian group workers stationed in North Korea are leaving in droves due to acute shortages of food, medical supplies and other essentials, as a yearlong lockdown of the border with China plunges the isolated country's economy into chaos.

The Russian Embassy in Pyongyang reported a "collective exit" of diplomatic missions from North Korea in a Facebook post April 01. The representative offices for 12 countries including the U.K., Venezuela, Brazil and Germany are locked, and foreign staffers at international humanitarian organizations have all left the country, according to the post. The Russian Foreign Ministry in February also released a video of its diplomats and their families crossing the border from North Korea on a hand-pushed trolley. Ambassadors from nine countries including Russia, China and Cuba reportedly remain and are continuing their duties in North Korea. Embassies in Pyongyang have reported a lack of essential items in the country through social media and other channels since the beginning of the year. The Russian Embassy in April 01's post said the lack of drugs meant health problems cannot be addressed in North Korea.
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China's secret loan contracts reveal clout over developing nations

The terms of China's loan deals with developing countries are unusually secretive and require borrowers to prioritize repayment of Chinese state-owned banks ahead of other creditors, a study of a cache of such contracts showed on March 31. The researchers at AidData, the Washington-based Center for Global Development (CGD), Germany's Kiel Institute and the Peterson Institute for International Economics compared Chinese loan contracts with those of other major lenders to produce the first systematic evaluation of the legal terms of China's foreign lending, according to CGD. Their analysis uncovered several unusual features to the agreements that expanded standard contract tools to boost the chances of repayment, they said in the 77-page report. These include confidentiality clauses that prevent borrowers from revealing the terms of the loans, informal collateral arrangements that benefit Chinese lenders over other creditors and promises to keep the debt out of collective restructurings - dubbed by the authors as "no Paris Club" clauses, the report said. The contracts also give substantial leeway for China to cancel loans or accelerate repayment, it added.
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Despite China feud, Australia resource exports to hit record by value

While strained diplomatic ties have taken a toll on bilateral trade, China's enduring appetite for infrastructure has kept iron ore prices high and is expected to lift Australia's resources and energy exports to record levels for the 12 months ending June. Exports in this sector are on track to hit 296 billion Australian dollars ($226 billion) for the fiscal year, Australia's Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources announced March 29. Exports of iron ore -- which makes up roughly 60% of all Australian shipments to China by value -- are expected to jump 31% on the year to AU$136 billion, according to the release. The forecasts show how closely Australia's commodity-driven economy remains linked to its biggest export market, even amid a war of words over the origins of the novel coronavirus. China halted some Australian meat imports in May, citing problems with labelling and health certificates. China also slapped a more than 80% anti-dumping tariff on Australian barley and imposed long waits on Australian rock lobster at customs. According to China's customs authority, imports of Australian barley and frozen beef slumped 45% and 22%, respectively, in 2020. Much of this was offset by a 16% surge in iron ore imports.
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Strategic

Biden and Suga to note Taiwan Strait in April joint statement

Japan and the U.S. plan to affirm the importance of stability in the Taiwan Strait when Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga visits Washington next month for a summit with President Joe Biden, Nikkei has learned. The two sides are in discussions to include the passage on Taiwan in a joint statement after the summit. Both countries also intend to take a unified stance opposing China's new law empowering the coast guard. Such a statement on Taiwan would mark a rare public expression of concern by U.S. and Japanese leaders. The last time was 1969, when Prime Minister Eisaku Sato and President Richard Nixon stressed in a statement that Taiwan's security is crucial for Japan's security. When U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited the Japanese Defense Ministry in Tokyo on March 16, his counterpart Nobuo Kishi noted that China's defense spending has now grown to 16 times that of Taiwan. Later, when the defense chiefs attended a "two-plus-two" meeting alongside U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, they "underscored the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait," according to a joint statement issued after the meeting.
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South Korea's top diplomat visits China as Sino-US tensions spike

South Korea’s foreign minister was meeting his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing on April 02 as Seoul’s national security advisor jets across the Pacific for a meeting in Washington with his Japanese and US counterparts. Chung Eui-yong will meet Wang Yi in Xiamen in the south-eastern province of Fujian because China bars foreign visitors from coming to the capital because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tensions between the U.S. and China are escalating over trade, technology, and human rights. During a visit to Seoul last month, U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken urged China to use its influence to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons. South Korea is caught in a tough spot between the two major powers, as it needs to show its ally in Washington that can stand up to Beijing, but at the same time maintain economic ties with China -- its biggest trading partner. The meeting -- the first trip by a South Korean foreign minister to China in three years -- comes amid a flurry of diplomatic activity over the past few weeks. Wang has met counterparts in Russia, Turkey, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.
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ASEAN leaders to meet over Myanmar, chair Brunei says

Brunei, the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, on April 05 threw its support behind a regional leaders' meeting to discuss developments in Myanmar and said it has asked officials to prepare for a meeting in Jakarta. Myanmar has been in crisis since a Feb. 1 military coup that ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. Activists say at least 557 people have since been killed in a crackdown by security forces on protests and strikes across the country, where the junta has restricted internet access. Indonesia has led efforts by members of ASEAN, of which Myanmar is a member, to encourage a negotiated solution, despite a longstanding policy of not commenting on each other's domestic problems.In a joint statement with Malaysia, Brunei said both countries have asked their ministers and senior officials to undertake "necessary preparations for the meeting that will be held at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia. "The statement followed a meeting between Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah on April 05. They did not say when the meeting would be held.
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Vietnam picks new PM and president for next 5 years

Vietnam's parliament on April 05 elected Pham Minh Chinh, head of the Communist Party's Central Organization Committee, as prime minister, replacing Nguyen Xuan Phuc who will take on the largely ceremonial post of president. The new leadership will try to keep the economy of the communist nation growing solidly -- a rarity during the pandemic -- and is expected to remain in power for the next five years. Chinh, 62, is set to form a new cabinet after assuming his post. Phuc was also elected as the president earlier April 05. During the 13th National Party Congress held in Hanoi from Jan. 25 to Feb. 1, the party re-elected Nguyen Phu Trong, 76, as general secretary, the nation's top job, for an unprecedented third term. Vietnam's political leadership has four pillars: Communist Party chief, president, prime minister and chair of the National Assembly, the country's parliament. As the new president, Phuc -- who has been credited for keeping the nation's economy on a steady upward trajectory despite the pandemic -- will be the country's top diplomat.
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Brazil’s 3 armed forces chiefs to be replaced, govt says after defense & foreign ministers quit Bolsonaro’s cabinet

The commanders of Brazil’s Army, Navy and Air Force will be replaced; the Ministry of Defense said in a statement, just 24 hours after the country’s defense and foreign ministers resigned from the cabinet. General Edson Pujol of the Army, Navy Admiral Ilques Barbosa Junior, and Air Lieutenant Brigadier Antonio Carlos Moretti Bermudez surrendered their positions after a meeting on March 30, the ministry said. Present at the meeting was President Jair Bolsonaro’s new pick for defense minister, General Walter Souza Braga Netto, who takes over from Fernando Azevedo e Silva. Azevedo e Silva announced his resignation in a statement on March 29, saying “mission accomplished,” but without giving a reason for his sudden exit. Brazilian media reported that the defense minister was effectively forced out by Bolsonaro, and the three-armed forces commanders were apparently unhappy about the move. On March 29, Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo announced he was stepping down after backlash from the leaders of both chambers of Brazil’s National Congress over his alleged failure to secure enough Covid-19 vaccine doses.
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Russia to respond if NATO increases presence near Ukraine: Kremlin

The Kremlin said on April 02 extra steps will be taken if the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) strengthens forces around Ukraine amid the intensified Kiev-Donbas conflict. Military build-up of the NATO will undoubtedly escalate tensions near the Russian-Ukrainian border, requiring Moscow to "take additional measures to ensure its security," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a daily briefing. Viewing Russia as an enemy in this situation is completely unacceptable and inappropriate as it has never posed a threat to others, he said. Russia is not a party to this conflict between the Ukrainian government forces and the Donbas insurgents and cannot guarantee a comprehensive ceasefire between them, but it can work to ensure that previously-reached agreements are fulfilled, the spokesman added. Peskov expressed serious concerns over "provocative actions" from the Ukrainian side and called the situation along the contact line in Donbas "very intimidating."In a telephone conversation with Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on April 01, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Washington is closely monitoring the situation in Donbas.
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Russian show of force in the Far North

Three Russian nuclear ballistic submarines, smashing through the Arctic ice just feet from each other, Russian warplanes flying overhead, and Russia’s top winter shock troops, conducted manoeuvers on the wintry tundra as part of Umka-2021. This week’s drills were conducted around Alexandra Land, an island that is part of the Franz Josef Land archipelago where the military has recently built a base, the UK’s Daily Mail reported.Moscow has prioritized beefing up its military presence in the Arctic region, which is believed to hold up to a quarter of the Earth’s undiscovered oil and gas. Russia, the US, Canada, Denmark and Norway have all been trying to assert jurisdiction over parts of the Arctic, as shrinking polar ice opens new opportunities for tapping resources and opening new shipping lanes. Navy chief Admiral Nikolai Yevmeno said the sophisticated manoeuvre was carried out by submarines “for the first time in the history of the Russian Navy.”The submarines surfaced within a 300 meters radius and the ice they broke was 1.5 meters deep, the admiral added. The Russian military has expanded the number and the scope of its war games amid bitter tensions in ties with the West.
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Jordanian King Abdullah’s half-brother placed under house arrest as security forces thwart ‘coup attempt’

The security forces foiled an alleged plot to “undermine [the] stability” of Jordan, detaining multiple prominent political figures and apparently placing a former crown prince under de-facto house arrest. Around 20 people were arrested in a security sweep on April 03 night, including several high-profile figures such as Sharif Hassan Ben Zaid, a member of the royal family, and Bassem Awadallah, a former finance minister and head of the royal court. Both also formerly served as royal envoys to Saudi Arabia.Amid reports that former Crown Prince Hamzah bin Hussein was also detained, Jordan’s head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Major General Yousef Huneiti, said the prince had only been asked to stay home and to “stop some activities that could be used to shake the stability and security of Jordan.” In a video address leaked to the BBC by his lawyer, Prince Hamzah said he was under de-facto house arrest, with his security detail removed and his phone and internet communications cut. Hamzah – who was stripped of the title ‘crown prince’ in 2004 remains a popular figure among the opposition.
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Saudi FM: Deal with Israel will be ‘extremely helpful’ for region

A normalisation deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel would benefit the region, the kingdom’s foreign minister has said, adding that a potential deal “depends to a large extent on the progress of the peace process”. Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, during an interview on April 01, added that “the normalisation of Israel’s status within the region would bring tremendous benefits to the region as a whole”. “It would be extremely helpful economically, socially and from a security perspective,” he said, adding that it would be possible only if a Palestinian state within 1967 borders was delivered. Saudi Arabia has previously made similar comments, saying it would only normalise ties with Israel within a plan that would deliver a sovereign state to Palestinians. “What we need to make happen is a peace deal that delivers a Palestinian state with dignity and with a workable sovereignty that Palestinians can accept,” Prince Faisal had said in December last year. He added at the time that the normalisation of ties with Israel has long been part of Saudi Arabia’s vision, saying that the kingdom envisaged a move in exchange for the creation of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borderlines.
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DR Congo hosts 'last chance' talks over Ethiopia's contested Nile dam

Foreign ministers from Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan held talks in Kinshasa on April 04 over Addis Ababa's contested giant dam on the Nile, seen as vital by Ethiopia and a threat by downstream Egypt and Sudan. "These negotiations represent the last chance that the three countries must seize to reach an accord," Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry told Egyptian media. He said the accord should allow the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) to be filled in time to begin operations in the coming months, before the next rains. The dispute over the GERD, built across the Blue Nile, has been simmering for around a decade. The Nile, the world's longest river, is a lifeline supplying both water and electricity to the 10 countries it crosses. Egypt, which depends on the Nile for about 97 percent of its irrigation and drinking water, sees the dam as an existential threat. Sudan, also downstream, fears its own dams will be compromised if Ethiopia proceeds with filling the GERD before a deal is reached.
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With eyes on China, Japan and Indonesia bolster security ties

Japan and Indonesia pledged on March 30 to tighten security ties and signed a deal to facilitate transfers of defence equipment and technology, as their near neighbour China expands its economic and military might. China’s territorial claims in the East and South China seas have become a priority issue in an increasingly testy Sino-U.S. relationship and also raise significant security concerns for Japan. “I think this is (a) historical first in bilateral relations between Japan and Indonesia,” Indonesian Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto said, referring to the transfer pact. “We invite the Japanese side to participate in the modernization of Indonesia’s defence capacity. We also encourage joint training between our services - maritime and also land forces,” he told reporters.Prabowo made the comment at a joint media appearance in Tokyo following a meeting of the Japanese and Indonesian foreign and defence ministers. “We exchanged views on the situation in the East and South China seas and shared serious concern about the continuation and strengthening of unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force,” Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said.
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EU chiefs to visit Turkey amid tensions over Ankara’s crackdown on Kurdish-supporting party

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel have announced they will visit Turkey on April 6, amid tensions over Ankara’s crackdown on the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP).Michel had previously touted such a trip after an EU summit on March 25, where bloc leaders had focused on how to improve bilateral relations with Turkey in the wake of its crackdown on the HDP, as well an ongoing dispute over Ankara’s relations with Greece. The EU and Turkey clashed earlier in March over the Turkish government’s attempts to ban the HDP for its alleged ties to PKK fighters, decrying it as being a violation of “the rights of millions of voters.” Ankara rejected the criticism, telling other nations to “respect” its domestic “judicial process.” Relations between Brussels and Turkey are also strained over the latter’s long-standing dispute with Greece, centring around Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean region, over which both parties claim territorial rights. The ongoing maritime disagreement has impacted the EU’s migration policy, as Turkey has ceased to abide by a deal with the bloc by refusing to accept the return of migrants from crowded camps in Greece.
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Iran rejects prospect of meeting US at upcoming nuclear deal talks in Vienna

Iran will not talk to the US at the upcoming nuclear deal talks in Vienna, its deputy FM has said, as Tehran believes a return to the agreement does not require negotiations but instead depends solely on sanctions being lifted.Next week, the remaining participants of the landmark 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), will get together for talks in Vienna. However, the talks will not include any contact between the Iranian delegation and US diplomats, Iran’s Deputy FM Abbas Araqchi said on April 02 following a virtual meeting of the JCPOA’s signatories. “The United States will not attend any meeting in which Iran is present, including the meeting of the joint commission [of the nuclear deal], and that is certain,” Araqchi said, signalling that Tehran is not seeking any contact with the US. Other parties of the JCPOA, however, may be seeking “to consult bilaterally or multilaterally with the United States,” describing such contacts as “their business.” The Iranian delegation will not have any talks with the US delegation at any level.
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Afghan leader proposes peace road map in three phases-document

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani will put forward a three-phase peace roadmap for Afghanistan during a proposed meeting in Turkey, seeking an agreement with the Taliban and a ceasefire before elections, a document seen by Reuters shows. Ghani's plan will be presented as a counter to proposals put forward by Washington, rejected by the Afghan government, that envisage immediately drawing up a new legal system for an interim administration to include Taliban representatives. The document shows Ghani's "Reaching an Endstate" proposal will include, in the first phase, a consensus on a political settlement and an internationally monitored ceasefire. The second phase will be holding a presidential election and the establishment of a "government of peace" and implementation arrangements for moving towards the new political system. The third phase will involve building a "constitutional framework, reintegration of refugees and development" for Afghanistan moving forward. A senior government official said Ghani has already shared his road map with foreign capitals.
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Philippines' defence chief says China intends to occupy more South China Sea areas

The Philippines' defence chief said on April 04 China was looking to occupy more areas in the South China Sea, citing the continued presence of Chinese vessels that Manila believes are manned by militias in disputed parts of the strategic waterway. "The continued presence of Chinese maritime militias in the area reveals their intent to further occupy (areas) in the West Philippine Sea," Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said in a statement, using the local name for the South China Sea.It was the second hostile statement by Lorenzana in two days as he repeated calls by the Philippines for the Chinese boats to leave Whitsun Reef, which Manila calls the Julian Felipe Reef, located within its 200-mile exclusive economic zone. Chinese diplomats have said the boats anchored near the reef - numbering more than 200 based on initial intelligence gathered by Philippine patrols - were sheltering from rough seas and that no militia were aboard. On April 03, Lorenzana said there were still 44 Chinese vessels at Whitsun Reef despite improved weather conditions. "I am no fool. The weather has been good so far, so they have no reason to stay there," he said.
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Medical

WHO & leaders of 23 countries advocate global treaty to tackle future Covid-style health emergencies

Leaders of 23 countries and the World Health Organization (WHO) have backed the idea of creating a global treaty that would bolster international cooperation in case of future health emergencies like the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.The idea of the treaty received formal backing from the WHO, as well as leaders of over 20 nations, on March 30. The UN health watchdogs and top politicians published a joint opinion piece, ran by major newspapers worldwide.“There will be other pandemics and other major health emergencies. No single government or multilateral agency can address this threat alone,” the article reads.While the exact wording of the proposed treaty is still to be determined, the group urged the world to form a mechanism that would provide tools for a uniform response to global health emergencies. The main goal of this treaty would be to foster an all-of-government and all-of-society approach, strengthening national, regional and global capacities and resilience to future pandemics. The opinion piece has been signed by the leaders of Fiji, Portugal, Romania, the UK, Rwanda, Kenya, France, Germany, Greece, Korea, Chile, Costa Rica, Albania, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, the Netherlands, Tunisia, Senegal, Spain, Norway, Serbia, Indonesia, and Ukraine.
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14 nations express 'concerns' over lack of data in WHO report on Covid-19 origins after agency chief flags access issues in China

Fourteen countries including the US and UK have expressed "concerns" over a new report into the origins of Covid-19 by the World Health Organization (WHO) after the agency's own chief also highlighted data-access issues."It is equally essential that we voice our shared concerns that the international expert study on the source of the SARS-CoV-2 virus was significantly delayed and lacked access to complete, original data and samples," a joint statement from the nations read. The signatories included the governments of Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Israel, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, South Korea, Slovenia, the UK and US. The statement also called for a further analysis of the outbreak of Covid-19 that is "transparent”, “free from interference" and "unimpeded." A spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that China had "offered necessary facilitation for the team's work” and warned against "politicizing" efforts to identify the origins of Covid-19. The joint statement echoes comments made by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who said that the UN health agency's scientists had trouble "accessing raw data" while in China.
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Palestine’s stunted inoculation program receives 100,000 Covid-19 vaccines from China

The Palestinian Authority received 100,000 Covid-19 vaccine doses from China on March 29, a shipment Minister of Health Mai al-Kaila said would “greatly contribute to accelerating the vaccination campaign.” Speaking at a press conference in Ramallah, China’s ambassador to the Palestinian Authority, Guo Wei, said the doses “represent the promise made by China to put vaccines at the service of the world and to fully support the efforts of the Palestinian Authority in its fight against the coronavirus.” On March 26, the Palestinian health minister said that only 16,262 people had been vaccinated in the West Bank and 17,272 in Gaza – a stark contrast to Israel where nearly 10 million jabs have been administered. To date, Palestine has only received a handful of smaller vaccine shipments. On March 17, Palestinian officials received batches of the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccine, numbering 61,440 in total, from the Covax facility. The government also expects to receive another 25,000 doses of the Anglo-Swedish jab this coming week.
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EU digital vaccine certificates for Covid-19 could be ready in May, says Spanish foreign minister

A senior Spanish minister has said she believes that the EU’s digital vaccine certificate could be rolled out as early as May but says it will be ready by the end of June at the latest despite the bloc’s inoculation challenges.Speaking on March 31, Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya told Onda Cero radio that the vaccine certificate will be a useful tool with inoculation rates increasing and as the EU reopens to travel this summer. Gonzalez Laya admitted that now is not a good time to travel, cautioning Spanish citizens abroad to be responsible, but welcomed the implementation of an EU-wide program which could provide a boost to Spain’s ailing tourism industry. “If all goes well, we will have a vaccination certificate in June at the latest,” Gonzalez Laya stated, adding that “if it can be in mid-May, better, but not later than June.” The EU’s plan for a Digital Green Certificate, which attempts to restore travel across the 27-nation bloc as Europe emerges from the pandemic, was proposed earlier in March by Brussels. The certificate will prove that a traveller has either been vaccinated, recovered from Covid or has provided negative test results.
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