Chinese authorities barred access yesterday to villages outside Beijing where they reportedly have slaughtered thousands of cows to stop an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.
Police at roadblocks stopped outsiders from entering the villages northwest of the Chinese capital and the roads were wet with what appeared to be disinfectant. Foreign reporters who tried to visit the area were temporarily detained.
Health and agriculture officials have refused to confirm a report by Hong Kong's South China Morning Post newspaper that cows have been slaughtered in an attempt to stop an outbreak of foot-and-mouth.
Residents of the area, contacted by phone, confirmed that thousands of animals had been destroyed but said they didn't know why. The residents wouldn't give their names.
This month, China reported outbreaks of foot-and-mouth in the eastern cities of Taian and Wuxi but none near Beijing in the country's north.
The disease affects cows, sheep, goats and other cloven-footed animals, causing blisters on the mouth and feet. It isn't usually fatal, but authorities slaughter animals to stop its spread.
Reports of possible outbreaks are sensitive because they often prompt governments to ban meat imports from the affected country.
China slaughtered a total of 223 cows after the outbreaks in Taian and Wuxi, according to information provided to the World Organization for Animal Health.
The Post said 16 Chinese cattle imported to Hong Kong in March were found to have Asia 1 type foot-and-mouth disease -- the first time that type of the disease was found in Hong Kong.
‘NO SECURITY RISK’: The Railway Bureau reassured the public that the technicians’ activities were limited to technical guidance and did not involve sensitive systems The Railway Bureau yesterday said it had invited eight Chinese technicians to assist with an airport MRT construction project. The bureau issued the confirmation after an Internet user said Chinese nationals had entered the construction zone of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s Terminal 3 project. They asked why “individuals from an enemy state” were allowed access to such a major national infrastructure project, which raised serious concerns over Taiwan’s industrial safety, sensitive systems and information security. The bureau’s Northern Region Engineering Branch Office said subcontractor Taiwan Handle Industrial Co (台灣手把工業) of the Taoyuan airport MRT’s “Contract No. CU05 Project A14 Station Civil, MEP &
A US uncrewed surface vessel (USV) encountered multiple Chinese warships during an autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait, US defense company Seasats said in a statement on Wednesday. Seasats announced that a Lightfish USV had completed the first autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait. Over five days, the USV traversed the entire length of the Strait while constantly monitoring surface vessel traffic, the company said. The Lightfish encountered multiple Chinese warships, one of which was a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Type 056 corvette, it said. The Chinese vessels were operating “well within Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone without transmitting their identity via the
Taiwan is still in the process of assessing the possibility of recruiting workers from Eswatini, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday, adding that its goal is to help Eswatini upgrade its vocational training centers. If there are plans to recruit workers from Eswatini, safeguarding national security, protecting public health and ensuring the employment rights of Taiwanese would be prerequisites, Department of West Asian and African Affairs Director-General Yen Chia-liang (顏嘉良) told a news conference. Key considerations would also include filling labor shortages in specific industries, and fostering bilateral professional and technical exchanges, he said. Yen was asked about the progress of labor
‘BOOMING’: ’ The number of partners we have here is incredible. You can see from their stock prices. They’re doing so well, they’re so happy,’ Jensen Huang said Nvidia Corp’s spending in Taiwan has ballooned to about US$150 billion a year, 10 times the US$10 billion to US$15 billion the company spent five years ago, Nvidia chief executive officer Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said yesterday, suggesting Taiwan’s strategic importance in the global artificial intelligence (AI) supply chain. “Taiwan is the epicenter of the AI revolution. This is where the chips come, packaging comes. This is where the systems are made. This is where AI supercomputers were created,” Huang said at a meeting for the company’s employees in Beitou-Shilin Technology Park (北投士林科技園區) in Taipei, the planned site of Nvidia’s Taipei headquarters. “Taiwan
RSS