NATION'S COVID-19 FIGHT IN SPOTLIGHT

China will fulfill its commitment to assist developing countries in the fight against COVID-19 and work with the international community to resume personnel exchanges to mitigate its negative impact on social and economic development, a senior official said on Sunday.

Vice-Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu said at a news conference in Beijing that China has announced the suspension of debt repayments for 77 developing countries and regions with the implementation of the G20's Debt Service Suspension Initiative for the world's poorest countries.

The establishment of a cooperation mechanism for Chinese hospitals to pair up with 30 African hospitals is also underway, Ma said, adding that the construction of a United Nations humanitarian hub in China is under discussion and preparation.

In a speech at a virtual event opening the 73rd session of the World Health Assembly last month, President Xi Jinping announced China will provide $2 billion over two years to help with COVID-19 response and with economic and social development in affected countries.

Ma explained that through bilateral aid and multilateral donations, the funds will be used to provide anti-epidemic materials as well as support the resumption of economic and social development in related countries in the post-epidemic era.

At the news conference, the State Council Information Office unveiled a white paper titled "Fighting COVID-19: China in Action", which records China's efforts in its fight against the virus, shares its experience with the rest of the world and clarifies its outlook on the global battle.

According to the white paper, China had provided anti-epidemic assistance to more than 150 countries and four international organizations and had sent 29 medical experts groups to 27 countries as of May 31.

Local governments, enterprises, civil organizations and individuals have donated medical supplies to more than 150 countries and regions as well as international organizations, it said.

From March 1 to May 31, China exported anti-epidemic materials to 200 countries and regions, including 70.6 billion face masks and 340 million items of protective clothing as well as other supplies, it added.

According to Ma, China has held over 180 videoconferences with experts from more than 170 countries and international organizations.

All these facts demonstrated China's sense of responsibility as a major country, Ma said, adding that China has advanced its cooperation with other countries and boosted its relations with most of them during the pandemic.

He noted that China is strengthening cooperation with various countries to restart personnel exchanges in a gradual and orderly manner, to promote resumption of work and production and to maintain the stability of international industrial and supply chains.

China has established fast-track lane services for personnel exchanges with the Republic of Korea, Germany and Singapore, he said.

While ensuring the containment of the pandemic, China will discuss with other countries the establishment of fast lanes for people to come to China who are engaged in important business, logistics, production and technical services, he added.

XI URGES CENTURY-OLD INSTITUTE TO MAKE BIGGER CONTRIBUTION

President Xi Jinping encouraged the Harbin Institute of Technology on Sunday to make continuous efforts in reforming, innovating and striving for excellence in a letter congratulating it on the 100th anniversary of its founding.

Xi noted that the institute, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, has taken root deeply in Northeast China, stayed committed to patriotism, shown its dedication and conducted unrelenting hard work since the founding of the People's Republic of China.

The institute, during its long history, has developed key equipment and facilities, trained high-caliber talents and made important contributions to the Party and the people, said Xi, who is also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission.

Founded in 1920, the Harbin Institute of Technology, in Heilongjiang province, is a key Chinese university with notable strengths in space science, robotics and engineering.

The university, standing at a new starting point, must adhere to a socialist orientation in its education and focus on fostering the virtues of its students through education, he said.

Xi also urged the institute to make new and greater contributions to the realization of the country's two centenary goals and the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation as it imparts knowledge, educates talents and conducts scientific research.

OFFICIAL: HK SECURITY LEGISLATION TO PROTECT PEOPLE'S RIGHTS, FREEDOMS

The central government will press ahead with its decision to enact a national security law in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region while protecting the legitimate rights and freedoms of law-abiding citizens, the central government's top liaison official said.

Luo Huining, director of the central government's liaison office in the SAR, made the remark after central government authorities, including the liaison office, began hearing the views of people from Hong Kong on how the proposed national security law should be framed and how it should be put into practice.

Luo met on Saturday with local representatives of society who called for the law to be enacted to ensure Hong Kong keeps a high degree of autonomy and has long-term prosperity and stability.

The national security law, proposed in May, covers acts of secession, subversion and terrorism, and foreign interference in the affairs of Hong Kong.

The liaison office said it had received 201 written proposals from 36 National People's Congress deputies from the SAR and 165 members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. The feedback will aid the NPC Standing Committee's deliberations as it drafts the legislation.

Hong Kong's Chief Secretary for Administration Matthew Cheung Kin-chung said on Sunday that the SAR is working in close contact with central government bodies to put the proposed national security legislation into practice.

In a blog post, Cheung said the Hong Kong government has also identified other areas in which preparations are being made for the proposed law, and he reiterated that the rights, freedoms and core values of Hong Kong people will be protected by the law.

Over the weekend, two local groups called on secondary school students to participate in a "referendum" on whether to oppose the legislation with strikes and class boycotts.

Cheung has said schools and society at large should prevent campuses from being politicized.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said on Saturday that after Hong Kong regains stability with the national security law, investors would have more confidence in the city and its status as an international financial center would be further consolidated.

Lam cited recent developments in the city's financial market. Even though Hong Kong's stock market plummeted around 1,400 points on May 22−the day the NPC decided to introduce a national security law in Hong Kong−it has recovered all the loses and hit a three-month high on Friday.

She added that the city has not seen an outflow of capital after the legislation decision. That and the increasing secondary listing of China concept stocks as well as the surge of the local Purchasing Manager's Index in May show investors' confidence in Hong Kong, Lam said.

HAINAN FREE TRADE PORT OUTLINES FOCUS

The Hainan free trade port will establish one negative and three positive lists, focusing on high-tech, ecological and environmental protection and industries with local characteristics, the Ministry of Finance said on Monday.

China is planning to build a high-quality free port in Hainan province in steps and phases, the country's top economic regulator said on Monday.

"The implementation of the government's overall plan for the construction of Hainan Free Trade Port can be divided into two phases-the first phase to lay the foundation and make preparations and the second phase to comprehensively promote the development," said Lin Nianxiu,deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission.

Hainan will strictly control real estate industry development and will not be "a processing plant for property projects", Liu Cigui, Party chief of the island province, said on Monday.

Liu told a news conference in Beijing that Hainan will develop the estate industry within its resources and environmental capability. "Hainan rejects being a processing plant for real estate projects," Liu said. "The amount of our land is limited, and we've already learned a lesson."

"We should not build a modern industrial development mode that relies on a single industry. While pursuing economic growth, we should also pay attention to environmental protection," Liu added.

HELPING HAND OFFERED TO STRANDED STUDENTS

"At first the dominant fear was of a lack of gear such as face masks, and then the chief anxiety was about things like when classes resume and how you could keep up with your studies," said Wu, a PhD candidate at the Graduate School of Frontier Sciences at Tokyo University.

During the pandemic, as Japanese students who returned to their homes griped about having to give up their social lives and vital on-campus networking opportunities, many foreign students watched their finances fall apart−the lockdown of businesses preventing them from working.

Although some of these overseas students come from families wealthy enough to look after them, many others have worried about how they are going to pay tuition fees. Those who were able to afford to fly home before international borders were closed say they are unsure when they will be able to return.

While some stayed at home feeling helpless, others stepped up to offer help, Wu, being one of the latter.

Starting from February, Wu and other students at Tokyo University set up a website offering help to students needing it, under the banner of a nonprofit organization called the Chinese Association of Science and Technology in Japan.

"It's at times like these that I think we students should unite to help each other and others as much as we can," Wu said.

With the support of donations from China and Japan, Wu's group has helped supply about 1,500 Chinese students in Japan with face masks, disinfectant and other necessities.

"Because our association was built by Chinese alumni of Tokyo University and most of our donations came from them, we first focused on helping Chinese students at Tokyo University, then expanded our reach to Chinese students in other universities, and now we want to help Japanese society more broadly," Wu said.

JD LAUNCHES HK OFFERING MONDAY

E-commerce giant JD offered 133 million shares globally on Monday, 6.65 million of which will be publicly offered in Hong Kong, raising around HK$31.39 billion ($4.05 billion), the Finet reported Monday.

The offer fee per lot in HK stands at 11,919 yuan, and the price per share of the public offering is capped at HK$236. The public offering in HK will be closed on June 11. Shares of JD are expected to float in HK from June 18.

Compared to its $59.04 per share in the US stock market on Friday, JD's ceiling price in HK is 3.2 percent higher.

Eight brokers have totaled a 130 million yuan margin amount for the HK offering.

VIRUS REVEALS STRENGTHS, GAPS IN HEALTH SYSTEM

China will overhaul its public health system to eliminate gaps exposed by the COVID-19 outbreak, the health minister said on Sunday while noting that significant domestic achievements have been made in fighting the epidemic.

The State Council Information Office released a white paper on fighting COVID-19 on Sunday to share with the world China's experience in fighting the disease, which many countries are now grappling with.

The pandemic, which had thousands of new cases a day in China at its peak in mid-February, has been brought well under control domestically. The number of new confirmed daily cases across the country has remained at double digits or below since early March.

On Saturday, six new confirmed COVID-19 cases, including five imported, were reported on the Chinese mainland, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 83,036, with 4,634 deaths, according to the National Health Commission.

National Health Commission Minister Ma Xiaowei said that by Tuesday, more than 94 percent of all COVID-19 patients in China had recovered, which was higher than the average recovery rate for other viral pneumonias.

The Chinese government has been taking people's lives as the top priority in fighting the epidemic, and it has carried out strategies−such as early testing and isolation of patients and their close contacts, isolating all suspected patients and providing treatment to all patients−that have effectively brought sources of infection under control, Ma said at a news conference at the State Council Information Office.

To counter the outbreak, China mobilized national resources to fight the disease, including sending 42,600 medical workers and more than 900 public health personnel across the country to Hubei province, including its capital Wuhan, to aid medical treatment, said the white paper released on Sunday.

Meanwhile, China has provided free treatment to all COVID-19 patients.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a major test for China, Ma said, but success in fighting the pandemic has proved the country's medical and public health emergency response systems to be effective in general, though the pandemic has revealed some shortcomings.

China will improve the investment procedure in public health to enhance its capacity in disease control and prevention, he said.

Reforming the public health system has been a major topic of discussion following the COVID-19 outbreak in China, with senior legislators and political advisers making proposals during the gathering of China's top legislative and advisory bodies last month.

At a seminar attended by senior experts in Beijing on June 2, President Xi Jinping called for lessons to be learned to build an empowered public health system and improve the early warning and response system to protect people's health.

In addition, investment in science and technology will be increased for health, and laws regarding infectious disease control and prevention and public health emergency response will be revised or made, Xi said.

COVID-19 NEUTRALIZING ANTIBODY IN PHASE-1 CLINICAL TRIAL IN SHANGHAI

The first subject from the Shanghai-based Huashan Hospital of Fudan University on Sunday morning received an injection of JS016 -- a recombinant, fully human, monoclonal neutralizing antibody against COVID-19.

It is allegedly the world's first clinical trial for the antibody on a healthy human participant after completing testing on non-human primates, according to the municipal science and technology commission of Shanghai.

The antibody, co-developed by biopharmaceutical company Junshi Biosciences, the Institute of Microbiology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences and others, entered the phase-1 clinical trial after approval by the National Medical Products Administration.

The randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial aims to evaluate the tolerability, safety, pharmacokinetic characteristics, and immunogenicity of JS016 among the Chinese population, to provide a basis for subsequent clinical studies of the antibody.

After being injected into the human body, JS016 can effectively block the binding of viruses to the host-cell surface receptor ACE2. This is because it is specific to the SARS-CoV-2 surface spike protein receptor-binding domain, according to Feng Hui, chief operating officer of Junshi Biosciences.

The trial was led by Zhang Jing, deputy director of the Institute of Antibiotics with the hospital, and Zhang Wenhong, head of the hospital's Center for Infectious Disease.

Neutralizing antibody therapy is expected to be the first treatment option in fighting COVID-19, said Zhang Wenhong, noting that the antibody can accurately target the coronavirus and inhibit virus replication.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

A nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people. - John F. Kennedy