China
- Tourism News
Nearly 2,000 Chinese flights to enter Thailand in coming months
Nearly 2,000 Chinese flights are set to enter Thailand in the coming months. Thailand’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAAT) authorised1,910 flights from China to enter the kingdom, with 671 expected to arrive in February and 970 slated for arrival in March, according to CAAT president Suttipong Kongpool. In addition, the CAAT has received 6,318 flight requests for the period from February…
- Thailand News
Thai cops go above and beyond to help Chinese tourist return home
Good eggs from the Royal Thai Police force in Chiang Mai Province, northern Thailand, helped a Chinese tourist get her passport back in the nick of time before her flight back to China last night. At 10pm, officers at Chang Phuak Police Station received a call from a distressed Chinese tourist. The tourist rented a car from a car rental…
- World News
Singaporean salon Strip in trouble over orangutan ad
Singaporean hair removal salon chain Strip has been the centre of a social media storm in China due to their use of an orangutan in an advertisement in the country. The ad for Strip’s salons in Shanghai caused anger among social media users who accused the company of shaming women who do not remove their body hair. In response to…
- Tourism News
Chinese tour groups begin landing in Thailand again
The first direct tour group flights from mainland China to Thailand marked a milestone in the recovery of the Thai tourism industry. One flight landed at Don Mueang International Airport yesterday morning with 40 Chinese tour group members and 90 other travellers. The second landed in the afternoon in Phuket. In total, 13 flights with tour groups from China landed…
- World News
US to form military alliance with Philippines to check China
The United States is set to announce details of a new alliance with the Philippines and four new military bases on the island nation as it attempts to curb China’s expansion in the South China Sea. The US is keen to rekindle a former friendship with the Philippines, 30 years after they were told to leave, and plug a gap…
- China News
Chinese province to allow all citizens to have unlimited children
Amid China’s spiralling crisis with an ageing population and shrinking workforce, one province is making some drastic policy changes. Starting on Wednesday, February 15, the western Chinese province of Sichuan will allow all citizens, including unmarried couples, to register as many children as they want. The province has over 83 million people. While current policies don’t explicitly ban unmarried women…
- Thai Life
Why so many Thais have Chinese ancestry
With the Chinese New Year wrapping up, those who venture out onto Thailand’s streets will see just how much the country’s history has been shaped by China. Modern-day Thai people are thought to have emigrated from China over 1,000 years ago. The Tai ethnicity originally consisted of those who spoke a common Tai language. Those same people migrated from China…
- Economy News
Bank of Thailand increases interest rates, again!
The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of Thailand insists that it had to hike its policy interest rate by 0.25% to 1.50% yesterday for the fourth consecutive time to curb high inflation. MPC Committee Secretary Piti Disyatat reported that the committee was unanimous in its decision. “Under a gradual policy normalisation, rate hikes could take place for a…
- China News
China reports 70% drop in severe Covid cases and fatalities
China’s government says the number of severe Covid-19 cases and coronavirus-related deaths has dropped by over 70% since peaking earlier this month. More specifically, the government says critically ill cases have dropped by 72%, while covid-related fatalities have dropped by 79% from their respective peaks. According to Reuters, the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published the figures on…
- Visa Information
Thailand gives 5 year visas to Hong Kong celebrities
Thailand‘s new strategy to lure in tourists is to dish out five-year visas to celebrities and influencers with large social media followings. After Beijing dropped most of its Covid-19 travel regulations last month, Thailand is focussed on drawing back tourists from Hong Kong and China, who were Thailand’s No.1 tourists pre-pandemic. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) hopes to attract…
- China News
Russia to join navy exercises with China and South African next month
Russia’s state-owned TASS news agency revealed today that a Russian warship equipped with hypersonic cruise missiles will join in exercises with the navies of China and South Africa next month. This marks the first official confirmation of the involvement of the Russian frigate Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov. The frigate is armed with Zircon missiles, capable of…
- Tourism News
Flights from China over Chinese New Year average 34 daily
The skies above Thailand will be full of Chinese flights this week, with 240 scheduled flights over the Chinese New Year. The Aeronautical Radio of Thailand (Aerothai) announced that during the holiday period from January 19 to 25, an average of 34 flights per day are expected to arrive in Thailand from China. This is expected to bring a significant…
- World News
Thailand to extradite alleged Malaysian scammer to China
A Thai court ordered a wanted alleged Malaysian scammer to be extradited to China to face charges related to fraud on Wednesday. Both Malaysia and China requested the repatriation of Tedy Teow Wooi Huat, the founder of the Mobility Beyond Imagination Group (MBI), after he was allegedly linked to numerous scams, reports the Straits Times. Penang-born Teow attended a virtual…
- China News
Millions of Chinese head home to countryside despite Xi’s Covid worries
Millions of Chinese residents are headed back home for the Chinese New Year despite President Xi Jinping’s worries about Covid spreading through rural areas. Xi said he was “concerned” about the countryside’s ability to handle a surge in Covid infections, but China’s transport authorities are predicting more than two billion trips will be made this month and into next month.…
- Phuket News
Five airlines launch direct flights between Phuket and China this week
Five airlines are launching direct flights between China and Phuket in southern Thailand this week. The services will connect Phuket to Shanghai, Nanjing, and Chengdu. Today, Phuket will welcome three direct flights from Shanghai on Spring Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, and Juneyao Airlines. All three services will fly daily. Juneyao Airlines’ inaugural daily direct service from Nanjing will also land on…
- China News
Beijing doctor says hospital discourages writing Covid-19 on death certificates
An unnamed Beijing doctor says he and others are being discouraged from writing Covid-19 on death certificates. According to Reuters, the doctor says he saw a printed notice in the emergency department that said “try not to” write Covid-induced respiratory failure on patients’ death certificates. Instead, he says he was told to name any underlying diseases that the patients had…
- Thailand News
Thailand is most searched travel destination for Chinese New Year
Online searches for flights to Thailand during the approaching Chinese New Year holidays beat searches for flights to all other countries in the region, according to travel marketing company Sojern. China’s borders are open for the first time in three years and Chinese travellers are looking to get away to celebrate the upcoming two-week Chinese New Year – or Lunar…
- China News
China’s air travel regulator to allow airlines to fly more routes to US
China’s air travel regulator is gearing up to allow more routes to the United States after the country lifted its strict anti-virus travel restrictions this month. According to The Korea Times, China Central Television reported on its website that the US and Chinese airlines are among around 40 carriers that have submitted applications covering about 700 flights per week involving 34…
- China News
China defends its Covid death reporting rates while allegedly banning photos, videos of Tibetan cemeteries
China is defending itself against World Health Organisation (WHO) claims that its reported Covid-19 death rates are inaccurate. Chinese health officials say that it is ‘not necessary’ to dwell on the exact number of Covid-related deaths in the country. But, a news report by Radio Free Asia says that the government is allegedly banning photos and videos of cemeteries in Tibet.…
- Tourism News
Daily direct flights between Phuket and Shanghai to takeoff next week
Daily flights between Phuket in southern Thailand and Shanghai in China will takeoff next Wednesday, January 18, operated by Shanghai’s Juneyao Airlines. The inaugural flight will be the first direct service between Phuket and mainland China in almost three years. China reopened its borders yesterday, and given that China was once Thailand’s top tourism market, Thailand braced itself for an…
- Tourism News
Chinese tourists trickling in after reopening
With a back and forth over Covid-19 restrictions, as China opens its doors for its citizens to travel outbound again, the wave of the coveted Chinese tourist demographic has been nothing more than a trickle. The first arrivals in three years on a direct flight from China to Thailand landed in Bangkok on January 8, with 200 enthusiastic travellers. After Covid…
- Tourism News
Tourism Authority of Thailand plans first roadshow in China after pandemic
Now that China has lifted travel restrictions for its citizens, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is once again tapping into the Chinese tourism market. TAT is planning a roadshow in China during the third week of February. This will be the first roadshow after the Covid-19 pandemic, according to TAT’s Regional Director of East Asia Chuwit Sirivejkul. The roadshow…
- World News
Despite China risk, Malaysia will not change Covid rules
Thailand has implemented new blanket Covid-19 restrictions from today in an effort to fight an infection spike without offending China, which just opened to international travel despite a massive coronavirus outbreak. Malaysia went in another direction, declaring that they would make no changes to their entry procedures despite the increased risk of Covid in travellers from China. The Minister of…
- Hot News
Dell plans to stop using Chinese-made chips by 2024
US computer maker Dell is planning to stop using Chinese-made chips in its computers by 2024. Amid economic tensions between the two countries, the company is also telling its suppliers to reduce the amount of other Chinese-made components in its products. According to Nikkei Asia, the world’s third-largest computer maker told suppliers as early as last year to cut down…
- Thailand Travel
Thailand to reintroduce Covid-19 vaccine requirement for all visitors
Anyone wishing to gain entry into Thailand will soon be required to show proof of receiving at least two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine prior to their arrival. The measure will apply to all arrivals in the kingdom regardless of nationality. The Ministry of Public Health is planning to reintroduce the old entry requirement amid concerns that Chinese tourists will import…
- World News
Over a quarter of travellers from China test positive in Taiwan
Thailand may want to rethink its pandemic prevention strategy for Chinese tourists after news broke this week that more than a quarter of passengers from China landing in Taiwan tested positive for Covid-19. The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) in Taiwan reported that over a quarter of the 500 plus travellers who arrived in Taiwan from China returned positive Covid…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand’s public health minister says Chinese tourists won’t be discriminated against
Thailand’s Public Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, says the country’s plans to re-introduce Covid-19 related measures won’t discriminate against Chinese travellers. He then went on to say that the measures won’t discriminate against any particular country. But, the government is expected to finalise measures that would apply to visitors arriving from Covid-plagued countries, which include China. “Relevant officials agree to give…
- Covid-19 News
Airlines up in arms over increase in Covid measures due to influx of Chinese travellers
Worldwide airline lobby group International Air Transport Association (IATA) is up in arms over global plans to re-introduce Covid-19 restrictions for passengers arriving from China. The IATA says such measures represent a “knee-jerk” reaction to China’s recent lifting of Covid restrictions. Such a reintroduction of measures for travellers is being criticised by the IATA as it says science should supersede politics.…
- Thailand video news
Lights out & Unfiltered | GMT
In today’s episode, Thailand prepares measures to prevent influx of Covid-19, Pattaya set to welcome Chinese tourists, Thais can apply for a digital ID next week, Man lying on a roadside for 6 days survives accident, and Unfiltered!
- World News
Malaysia responds to China’s lifted Covid restrictions with plans to tighten borders
Malaysia is responding to China’s recently lifted Covid-19 restrictions with plans to tighten its borders. The Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim, announced the country’s plans as fears mount over another Covid wave due to China. According to the Straits Times, the Cabinet is choosing to prioritise health over the economy. “We will control and tighten (our borders) even more, including (travellers) from…
