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The COVID-19 pandemic has not only become a humanitarian issue but a geopolitical and geostrategic one as well. Informed by a soft power perspective and utilising a mainly qualitative-narrative analysis approach, this paper analyses China's medical assistance to African states in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Zimbabwe is used as a case study. The study establishes that China's medical assistance to African countries did not start in the COVID-19 era. It is a historical relationship that has evolved over the years. Chinese vaccine diplomacy in the COVID-19 era has positively assisted a number of African states to kick start and sustain their vaccination campaigns. However, through this assistance China has also intentionally or unintentionally managed to keep its African allies happy while at the same time sending signals to its geopolitical competitors (especially the USA) that Africa is its sphere of influence. Further, although judged less effective than western produced vaccines, Chinese COVID-19 vaccines (especially SinoVac and SinoPharm) and other forms of assistance have been used as a tool for global influence. It is, thus, concluded that China's projection of soft power in the form of medical assistance towards African countries in the COVID era is both a way of oiling its public diplomacy as well as playing the role of a responsible international power by providing international public goods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To comprehensively assess the economic impacts from China's tourism industry caused by COVID-19 in 2020, this article develops a new multiplier calculation and decomposition method based on the social accounting matrix (SAM). This method is suitable for situations in which multiple industries are simultaneously exposed to external shocks, especially comprehensive industries like tourism. By categorizing all industries as being in either the tourism sector or the nontourism sector, we calculate the output, value-added and employment impacts of COVID-19, then decompose them into four levels: direct, indirect, spillover and reverberation effects. There are some subindustries of both the tourism and nontourism sectors that were severely affected. Compared with the calculation results from the traditional SAM method, the method developed in this paper identifies quite different industrial structures, although there is almost no difference in the total impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper visualizes variations in the recovery patterns of intercity mobility during the Covid-19 outbreak in China using cartogram mapping. We found large regional disparities in intercity mobility recovery, with lower recovery ratios and speeds primarily concentrated in megacities and provincial capitals. Conversely, the recovery of intercity mobility was relatively high in other cities, especially in some labour-exporting cities of central and south-western China. In addition, cities in southern China showed a relatively higher recovery ratio and speed in intercity mobility than those in northern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How the Chinese government controls the Covid-19 epidemic? This paper aims to answer this question from the perspective of public health expenditure, and policy, and then to help the government to perform better in infectious disease prevention and public health emergency management. We reviewed the development phases of the COVID-19 epidemic in China and divided it into four stages (incubation stage, outbreak stage, resolution stage, and stable stage). Then we adopted a content analysis method via MAXQDA2020, to analyze the combined application of four different types of policy tools in different stages with 571 texts of epidemic governance policy from the Chinese central government. We also calculated and compared the Chinese public health expenditure between epidemic and non-epidemic periods. Moreover, we also discussed implications for public health emergency management and for infectious disease prevention and control in China. (1) in the incubation stage, the potential epidemic has not attracted enough attention from the government; (2) the combination of the 4 types of policies is not only an important reason in controlling epidemic during the outbreak stage and resolution stage, but also the reason why the small-scale epidemic has not expanded in the stable stage; (3) the increasing Chinese public health expenditure, involving public health emergency treatment (114.81 billion yuan), government hospitals (284.84 billion yuan) and major public health service projects (45.33 billion yuan), is another critical reason for the rapid control of the epidemic. Public health expenditure and policy played an important role in the governance and control of the COVID-19 epidemic in China. Some limitations of China's infectious disease prevention system and public health emergency management system have been exposed to the public in this epidemic, which the Chinese government needs to improve in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to examine the co-movement between the two economic powers, namely the USA and China. The authors are mainly interested in examining the dynamics of co-movements during, and in the pre-covid periods. Additionally, they have aimed to examine the volatility spillover between USA and China, during and in the pre-covid periods. In order to achieve the research-based objectives, advanced econometrics models have been applied to the data from July1, 2010, to April 30, 2021. The results show that the sample market is integrated in the long run. The results also indicate that the behaviour of the Chinese market is same as the US market, and offers negligible opportunities for investors for diversification during this time. The findings indicate that the Ganger Causality between the stock markets during crisis is significantly higher than the pre-crisis period. The results of EGARCH model confirm the presence of asymmetric volatility spillover effects between the US and Chinese markets, during the considered time periods. This study also examines the co-movement in China, grounded upon the robust approach that facilitates examining the dependence structure between the sample variables. The findings offer valuable understanding for investors who are looking for investment diversification opportunities worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research has shown that the COVID-19 pandemic has holistically affected the financial and industrial sectors of China, in a considerably adverse manner. This paper aims to examine the impact of the COVID-19 virus on the transportation and logistics sector in China. In this regard, the study opted for a quantitative method of research design, along with primary data collection. The explanatory variable here is the COVID-19 virus, whereas, the dependent variables are air freight, ocean freight, and land freight. The data analysis technique used is the Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) analysis, comprising of the Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and the path assessment method. A structured survey questionnaire was also used, and the survey questionnaire scale was set from strongly agree to disagree strongly. The findings revealed that the effect of COVID-19 on air freight is statistically negative and significant. Moreover, the impact of COVID-19 on land freight is statistically negative and significant, whereas the effect of COVID-19 is statistically insignificant in the context of ocean freight, particularly during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, keeping these results in consideration, policymakers can enhance their support, so as to increase the performance of the logistics and transportation sector in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper focuses on the trade performance of Romania, a representative country for the Central and Eastern European region, strongly connected with its European partners in global value chains and thus affected by any change in these countries' relationships with the rest of the world in general and China in particular. Using panel data gravity models for the 2008-2019 period, we find that Romania's exports are significantly influenced by the demand of its major trade partners in the EU, and imports from China and the rest of the world. In addition, exports are vulnerable to the effectiveness of the government in relation to the other countries, corruption control and cultural values such as collectivism. We also assess the capacity of Romanian exports to regain their ascending trend displayed before the COVID-19 pandemic by using simulation forecasting scenarios based on the shape of the economic recovery and the type of shock transmission across economies. We observe a sharp decrease in 2020 followed by an important recovery in 2021 in a V-shape scenario and uniform transmission of the pandemic shock in the internal demand and in the foreign trade, or followed by a very slow recovery in 2021 (in a U-shape scenario and non-uniform transmission type in the two previously mentioned elements), especially when the global relation with rest of the world is included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: China employed a unique volunteerism system where health care providers outside of Hubei Province, the epicentre, travelled to reverse the devastation wrought by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) at its global onset. The aim is to study the unique circumstances of Chinese volunteerism in the context of continuing pandemic threats, specifically exploring the experiences of 20 Chinese nurse and physician volunteers fighting COVID-19 during the outbreak. Methods: Interviews were done through video calling. Results: Using content analysis with a hermeneutic perspective, emerging patterns showed the ways in which China's particular manifestation of volunteerism teaches us how to engage global threats of this nature. The overarching lesson, For the Good of the People, was manifested in several dynamic and overlapping themes: 1) Reaching for Professional Standards Even in Crisis; 2) Constantly Caring Through Failures and Successes; and 3) Holding Fast to the Common Good. The devastation was met by the resilience of volunteers, who overcame profound challenges managing patient care. Conclusions: Volunteerism required sacrifice and tremendous support in the form of training and administrative direction, family support, and peer collaboration. Volunteers' physical and psychosocial wellbeing was a priority. Recognizing the representative themes can help societies plan for continuing and future events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chinese government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic can be broken into three stages – from denial in early 2020, to relatively successful management from March 2020 to March 2022, and finally to the disastrous zero-COVID policy from March until November 2022. The article traces this to a general trend in China since the 2010s, namely the state's increasing concentration of "logistical power" (state and non-state actors' capacity to generate social dynamics based on the coordination of mobility), which led to "logistical violence" (force that destroys social dynamics based on the state's exclusive control over mobility). Informed by Hannah Arendt's thought and based on my engagement in public discussion in China during and after COVID pandemic, I propose the concepts of "logistical power" and "logistical violence" in order to facilitate public reflections – in addition to providing academic explanations – about what the pandemic may mean for China's future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By aiming to understand the importance of the ongoing effects of COVID-19 on several economies, this study attempts to highlight the impact of COVID-19 confirmed cases and deaths occurring in the most affected countries of the world such as China and the USA, especially in the context of their respective currencies. For this purpose, the daily data from January 22, 2020, till May 7, 2021, has been taken into account, and then has been analyzed to examine the linear relationship between the currency and proxies of the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, the (autoregressive distributed lag) ARDL model has been employed in order to fulfil the research objective with numerous statistical diagnostic measures, so as to validate the model. The results indicate that the exchange rate is affected negatively due to the effect of COVID-19 cases and deaths in particular countries. Moreover, the effect of the pandemic is not limited to the short run only, but also in the long run, as it is hurting the financial backbone of China and the USA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The outbreak of the contagious pandemic Covid-19 has disturbed various economic and business activities across the globe. This has resulted in the declination of cash flows and revenues, which significantly increases the probability of corporate bankruptcies and adversely affects the stock market performance. The current study investigated the Covid-19 and stock market nexus whilst considering the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSX). Covid-19 active cases and deaths have been considered proxies for the Covid-19 from 1 April 2020 to 30 July 2020. For empirical analysis, this study utilised quantile regression and dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS). Empirical findings of both quantile regression and DOLS illustrate that both the Covid-19 active cases and deaths significantly decline the SSX closing index. However, the quantile estimates reveal that from lower (0.25) quantile to medium (0.50) to higher (0.75) quantile, the magnitude of these variables is found declining. Moreover, the frequency domain causality test confirmed the unidirectional causal relationship between the study variables, running from Covid-19 cases and deaths to the SSX. The findings are robust, which leads to providing practical policy implications that identified the need to revise health-finance-related policies and financial education to combat such circumstances in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With its contiguous nature, paired with the people's fear and anxiety, the Covid-19 outbreak has become a lethal combination, which despite the lower death ratio, has led to unanticipated financial and economic repercussions that have eventually disturbed the life of every single human being around the globe. In this very context, enterprises that belong to the fields of entertainment, tourism, lodging, dining, hotels, and restaurants have been found to be at a higher risk, as such operations are harshly affected during such unanticipated situations. Hence, based on this notion, the present study has been conducted, in order to precisely identify the effect on China's film and drama industry's stock returns, due to the outburst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, based on the time-series data from China, spanning from the time period of 01-Jan-2020 to 15-Mar-2021, the quantile autoregressive distributed lag method (QARDL) method has been applied, as the preferred statistical technique for this study. The results have reported that there happens to be a negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, on the industry across all the considered quantiles, representing the bearish, normal, and bullish market conditions. Therefore, based on these findings, the government regulations' full compliance regarding social distancing and health assurance has been recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the volatility of China and the most advanced countries of the world stock markets due to the pandemic of COVID-19 using the TGARCH model. This research study presents empirical support for the TGARCH specification for explaining the daily time dependence in the rate of information arrival to the market for stocks traded on China stock market. Using the sample containing closing stock market returns from 05 January 2015 to 04 April 2020 of sample countries, we found that through the COVID-19, there is no significant impact of returns volatility coming from advanced countries towards the China stock market. Further, results state that China has a significant impact on explaining the volatility of the most advanced countries of the world (Switzerland, Sweden, Netherlands, and the UK) except the U.S.A. during COVID-19. We found no significant impact of China stock market returns on the U.S.A.'s volatility, but there is a presence of leverage effect during COVID −19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Like the other spheres of economic activity, international trade is also a victim of the current Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, taking this into consideration, this study examines the impact of the novel Covid-19 virus on international trade, by using monthly data from China and USA. For this purpose, we have referred to the novel Fourier causality test. The findings of the test show that there is a direct causal relationship between the Covid-19 related deaths and the exports and imports of China, while the Covid-19 cases do not have a causal relationship with the exports and imports of China in the pandemic. Moreover, the Covid-19 cases and deaths have a causal relationship with the exports and imports of USA. Thus, we found that there were heterogeneous effects experienced in both the countries. Based on these empirical findings, some policy implications have been suggested for the Chinese and USA economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic posed a critical threat to public health in the past year and has not been fully controlled so far. The nature of front-line young hospital pharmacists' occupation puts them at an increased risk of contracting any contagious disease, including COVID-19. Recent survey indicated that hospital pharmacists in China are depressive, hostile amid the pandemic. Aim: The present investigation aims to understand the job stress among young hospital pharmacists during the outbreak of COVID-19 and to provide basic information for pharmacy managers to help young fellows to cope with job stress. Method: This study is adopting pharmacist job stress questionnaire as the key instrument of data collection through WJX App in mobile phone. Demographic information, career prospects and stress management proposals were obtained synchronously. Quantitative data were processed with SPSS. Significant differences were examined using analysis of variance and Chi-square analysis. Result: About 60% of 289 questionnaire respondents complained of job stress (178 respondents). According to the narrative description of the data, young pharmacists' gender, education background, hospital grade, and specific work post had no significant effect on job stress difference. However, young pharmacists in different age-groups and professional titles showed different job stress. Pharmacists at the age of 31–35 complained more stress than the others. Pharmacists with high professional title (deputy chief pharmacist) complained more stress than the others. About 65% of 289 respondents had long-term plan for their practice, although 61% of young pharmacists felt troubled or worried with their future. As for stress management proposal, almost all young pharmacists hoped to improve their professional identity via raising their wages. Conclusion: More than half of young pharmacists suffer from job stress amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in China, and various intervention measures should be taken to relieve the stress and finally improve their social identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic shows variable dynamics in WHO Regions, with lowest disease burden in the Western-Pacific Region. While China has been able to rapidly eliminate transmission of SARS-CoV-2, Germany – as well as most of Europe and the Americas – is struggling with high numbers of cases and deaths. Objective: We analyse COVID-19 epidemiology and control strategies in China and in Germany, two countries which have chosen profoundly different approaches to deal with the epidemic. Methods: In this narrative review, we searched the literature from 1 December 2019, to 4 December 2020. Results: China and several neighbours (e.g. Australia, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Thailand) have achieved COVID-19 elimination or sustained low case numbers. This can be attributed to: (1) experience with previous coronavirus outbreaks; (2) classification of SARS-CoV-2 in the highest risk category and consequent early employment of aggressive control measures; (3) mandatory isolation of cases and contacts in institutions; (4) broad employment of modern contact tracking technology; (5) travel restrictions to prevent SARS-CoV-2 re-importation; (6) cohesive communities with varying levels of social control. Conclusions: Early implementation of intense and sustained control measures is key to achieving a near normal social and economic life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The outbreak of COVID-19 in China in early 2020 provides a rich data source for exploring the ecological determinants of this new infection, which may be of relevance as the pandemic develops. Objectives: Assessing the spread of the COVID-19 across China, in relation to associations between cases and ecological factors including population density, temperature, solar radiation and precipitation. Methods: Open-access COVID-19 case data include 18,069 geo-located cases in China during January and February 2020, which were mapped onto a 0.25° latitude/longitude grid together with population and weather data (temperature, solar radiation and precipitation). Of 15,539 grid cells, 559 (3.6%) contained at least one case, and these were used to construct a Poisson regression model of cell-weeks. Weather parameters were taken for the preceding week given the established 5–7 day incubation period for COVID-19. The dependent variable in the Poisson model was incident cases per cell-week and exposure was cell population, allowing for clustering of cells over weeks, to give incidence rate ratios. Results: The overall COVID-19 incidence rate in cells with confirmed cases was 0.12 per 1,000. There was a single confirmed case in 113/559 (20.2%) of cells, while two grid cells recorded over 1,000 confirmed cases. Weekly means of maximum daily temperature varied from −28.0°C to 30.1°C, minimum daily temperature from −42.4°C to 23.0°C, maximum solar radiation from 0.04 to 2.74 MJm−2 and total precipitation from 0 to 72.6 mm. Adjusted incidence rate ratios suggested brighter, warmer and drier conditions were associated with lower incidence. Conclusion: Though not demonstrating cause and effect, there were appreciable associations between weather and COVID-19 incidence during the epidemic in China. This does not mean the pandemic will go away with summer weather but demonstrates the importance of using weather conditions in understanding and forecasting the spread of COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]