Regional and international briefs

Pushed by China, Guyana cancels Taiwanese investment office

GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP):

Under pressure from mainland China, Guyana's government has cancelled permission for Taiwan to open a trade and investment office in the South American country.

The cancellation came last Thursday as China insists that Taiwan is legally a part of its territory and not an independent nation.

The government issued a statement clarifying "that it continues to adhere to the One China policy and its diplomatic relations remain intact with the People's Republic of China. The government has not established any diplomatic ties or relations with Taiwan and as a result of the miscommunication of the agreement signed, this agreement has since been terminated".

The Guyanese foreign minister told The Associated Press on Friday that the government had initially not seen anything wrong in allowing the Taiwanese to set up an office to push trade and investment in Guyana.

The agreement to establish the office was signed on January 11 without any official announcement. Few took note until the US Embassy in Guyana congratulated both sides for the achievement.

Guyana is the headquarter nation of the 15-member Caribbean Community.

Barbados economic programme on track despite recession, says IMF

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC):

The COVID-19 pandemic is causing a deep recession in Barbados, but implementation of the Barbados Economic Recovery and Transformation programme remains strong and targets are still being met, an International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff mission reported on Friday.

“The prolonged COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a major impact on Barbados. The economy is estimated to have contracted by about 18 per cent in 2020, with a gradual recovery projected to start in 2021,” said team leader Bert van Selm in a statement, noting that tourism had taken a significant hit.

Despite the COVID-19 shock, van Selm added, Barbados was making strides in implementing its ambitious and comprehensive economic reform programme, while expanding critical investments in social protection.

“Key indicative targets for end-December under the EFF (extended fund facility) were met,” van Selm said.

St Vincent confirms community spread

KINGSTOWN, St Vincent (CMC):

Community spread of COVID-19 has been confirmed in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Minister of Health St Clair Prince made the announcement on Friday, a day after Parliament approved a US$444-million budget following four days of debate in which the pandemic was a recurring theme.

His announcement confirmed what many citizens had concluded for weeks amid a massive spike in local cases since December 28.

“The cases, as reported in our last release, are clustered into families and small social groups, including patrons of gambling shed and rum shops,” the health minister said.

The latest numbers show a total of 1,170 cases confirmed since March 2020, of which 142 were imported. Of the total cases, 790 are active and 500 of those are under investigation.

Of all the cases confirmed in the country, 377 have recovered and three persons have died.

Chinese whistle-blower doctor honoured on death anniversary

WUHAN, China (AP):

The message was tucked into a bouquet of chrysanthemums left by a mourner at the back of Wuhan Central Hospital to honour a Chinese whistle-blower doctor who died from the coronavirus a year ago. It was simply the number of a Bible verse: Matthew 5:10.

"Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven," the verse reads.

A year ago today, Dr Li Wenliang died from the virus first detected in this Chinese city. A small stream of people marked the anniversary with visits to the hospital Saturday, some leaving flowers.

The 34-year-old ophthalmologist was one of eight whistle-blowers who local authorities punished early on for "spreading rumours" about a SARS-like virus in a social media group. His situation, eventually made public in media reports, made him a potent symbol for the perils of going against official messaging in China.

Li's death was initially reported by Chinese state media on the night of February 6, 2020, but the outlets quickly withdrew their reporting. Some hours later, in the early morning of February 7, Wuhan Central Hospital announced his death.

At the conclusion of the investigation into his death, the authorities published a Q&A, in which they noted: "Li was a Communist Party member, not a so-called 'person who was against the system'." It said those who labelled him that way were "enemy forces".

Li's death is still a sensitive topic, and his family has refrained from giving media interviews.