In Brief: Frozen meat containers pile up at China ports

BEIJING • Thousands of containers of frozen pork, chicken and beef are piling up at some major Chinese ports as transport disruptions and labour shortages slow operations, people familiar with the matter said.

Deliveries are mounting at ports including Tianjin, Shanghai and Ningbo because there are not enough truck drivers to collect containers due to travel curbs imposed in the country to control the coronavirus, said the people, who asked not to be identified because they are unauthorised to speak publicly. Ports are also starting to run out of electricity points to freeze the containers.

BLOOMBERG

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Global antibiotics supply under threat

BEIJING • The world could face a shortage of antibiotics if the pharmaceutical industry's supply problems posed by the coronavirus outbreak in China cannot be resolved soon, the head of a European business group in China warned.

EU Chamber of Commerce president Joerg Wuttke told a roundtable in Beijing that the synchronisation of supplies in China was being hampered by the outbreak, also highlighting problems in the car industry, while inventories were surging. He also noted that companies were running out of packaging material and faced challenges with regulatory uncertainties.

REUTERS

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Macau casinos to reopen for business

MACAU • Casinos in the world's biggest gambling hub were cleared to reopen tomorrow after an unprecedented closure of 15 days to curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

The authorities said casinos that do not want to reopen because of low tourist numbers could apply to extend the closure, but they must be up and running within 30 days. Macau's government has been keen to ensure the casinos keep employing staff through the downturn and are trying to avoid lay-offs.

BLOOMBERG, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

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Chinese fugitive activist arrested

BEIJING • Chinese police have arrested a prominent activist who had been a fugitive for weeks and criticised President Xi Jinping's handling of the coronavirus outbreak while in hiding, a rights group said yesterday. Anti-corruption activist Xu Zhiyong was arrested on Saturday after being on the run since December, according to Amnesty International.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE