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Uzbekistan's prime minister is in Beijing on a two-day visit.
A report says the EU cyber plan barring Chinese suppliers will lead to a huge cost on the block and China's robotic exports posted strong growth in the first quarter.
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Our first story.
Uzbek Prime Minister Abdullah Aripov is in Beijing for high-level bilateral meetings.
His agenda includes co-chairing the eighth session of the China-Uzbekistan Intergovernmental Cooperation Committee with Vice Premier Liu Guozhong.
Youyang has more.
The trip is also another high-level exchange between the two countries, after Chinese President Xi Jinping met with his Uzbek counterpart, Shah Rukh Mirza Youyev, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing last September.
President Liu Ye was in China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit 2025 and the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and also the World Anti-Fascist War.
In fact, China has remained Uzbekistan's largest trading partner for several consecutive years.
And data released by Chinese customers shows that, in the first quarter of 2026 alone, bilateral trade turnover rose by more than 35 year-on-year, reaching over US41 billion.
And in recent years cooperation between the two countries has shown full-scale expansion and vigorous development.
Well infused, including new energy, smart agriculture, green minerals, high technologies and also public health.
Well, one flagship cooperative project is the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, designed to boost the trade and economic ties across Central Asia and creating a diverse framework of connectivity.
Meanwhile, the two sides have also enhanced law enforcement and also the security cooperation, and further strengthened coordination and collaboration on international and regional affairs within the frameworks of the China-Central Asia Mechanism, as well as Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
That was Youyang reporting.
For more.
Joining us on the line is Qu Qiang, a fellow of Belt and Road Research Center at Minsu University of China.
Thank you for joining us, Professor Qu.
Thank you.
China has remained Uzbekistan's largest trading partner, with cooperation spanning new energy, smart agriculture, high technology and other sectors.
How important has this close partnership become for both Uzbekistan and China?
Well, I think Uzbekistan is very significant for China and vice versa.
I think for China, Uzbekistan is actually a very pivotal point and linking circle in the China, Central Asia and Europe region.
And also they are a very important part in a Belt and Road Initiative.
Uzbekistan have very much indulged with natural resources and also they have very good human resources and a fast growing economy.
And also they've been helping with China in the diversification of the energy resources and also in the supply chain extension and also in the transportation.
So I think that's the reason why in the beginning of this year the bilateral relation has been promoted into the all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership in the new era.
And also we both government agreed to build the China and Uzbekistan community with shared future.
Also in the perspective of Uzbekistan.
They will see China as their largest trade partner and they've been providing a very stable and very large market for Uzbekistan's product the funds and also technology.
Also, China has been investing in Uzbekistan a lot right now, covering not only in traditional sectors like the mineral resources, but also covering the wind farm, solar farm, textile infrastructures.
It's a very important partner to help Uzbekistan to achieve their 2022-2026 goals development strategy.
So i think in the future, we're going to cover more of the corporations in the future and that's the reason why we see each other as very, very important partner to each other.
And professor, which areas of intergovernmental cooperation do you expect to see the most progress following these high-level talks between china and uzbekistan?
Yes, I think this is a high-level talk between two governments and I think we prioritize several projects and areas.
For example, infrastructures, especially logistic infrastructures and transportation.
Everybody knows the CKU railway is the most important of the importants.
And it's a flagship program in the Belt and Road Initiative and it's been accoling to the China Kazakhstan Railway in.
One is the north and this is in the south.
So it makes sure that China through Central Asia can have more linkage into the European continent.
So this is actually very, very important just to consider what happened recently, right?
Internationally we've been seeing the choke point on the maritime transportation has been a lot and you know maritime transportation has become more and more unsafe.
So that's the reason why we need this.
And also talking about energy cooperation is also very important.
Traditional cooperation, like the natural gas pipeline, like the oil and the gas trade.
This is very important.
But don't take me wrong, and I think China...
On the contrary, it's also helping Uzbekistan to diversify their energy industry.
Uzbekistan has very good resources, you know, natural condition for solar and wind.
And that's you know where the sector China can help them with all these infrastructures and equipment, and letting alone.
Uzbekistan are very famous for agriculture, but now i think china is also very, very famous for its drought agriculture especially.
We have very advanced, you know, program in gansu and xinjiang, so all those experience and the best practices can be transplanted to uzbekistan as well, as we're talking about e-commerce, digitalization.
All that will actually been built on one platform, which is, you know uh, china uzbekistan community with shared future, and also it will be embedded in china central asia framework.
So i think a lot of progress can be anticipated.
Before arriving in beijing, the weisbach prime minister visited hong kong and met with chief executive john lee.
What was the strategic importance of that stop?
Well, I think this is really a great move and very smart.
I think Uzbekistan actually has been locked down in Central Asia.
What they need is actually the international reach.
They want to get closer to the international financial market.
The transportation, especially the maritime transportation.
You know a port services trade and you know technology human resources like the.
You know university education.
So actually, that is the strong suit for the Hong Kong.
So I think John Lee you know His Excellency has been mentioning that Hong Kong can be actually a super You know contactor, super you know value added helper.
So when Uzbekistan, can you know, link more with Hong Kong?
Actually, they can use Hong Kong's position, which is a free port, low tax port and, you know, a free capitalization port.
All these kind of the roles can help Uzbekistan to get into the mainland China much more easier, with a lower cost.
And also in Hong Kong.
You know they are actually very much, you know, highly connected to the international market.
They have international legal system, international rule of law, international, you know, standard and also all kinds of things. you know business environment are very good for them to springboard into you know very large you know domestic market in china and also letting alone about china and also hong kong is the fifth largest you know trade you know port in the whole world and also the number one free economy in the whole world so they can use hong kong as a jumping board to jump into the whole world other than just china i think asian nations is just the first stop and also they can jump into oceania countries like australia And also they can go to the South Asia through the maritime route.
So actually that is very important.
And also they can enjoy a lot of professional services and finance legal, and also you know, technology and research.
And also they can send more of the Uzbekistan young people to Hong Kong for the education on college in there, because they have the first-ranked college education in Hong Kong.
So I think that can be a win-win and win solution.
China and Uzbekistan have been cooperating within the frameworks of China-Central Asia mechanism.
What role is Uzbekistan playing in fostering China-Central Asia cooperation?
I think Uzbekistan actually can play a very positive initiator and coordinator in this mechanism.
Well, China is very important in the mechanism as well, but also we need strong local partners.
We've been partnered with Kazakhstan, which is the largest country in the region, but Uzbekistan is the largest population country in the region as well.
And Uzbekistan have a very important, you know, dual position. a geopolitical position.
They are a connector, connecting to all sides.
So I think they can actually help China and also help them themselves to build a stronger role in this mechanism.
And also we know that you know the specialized secretary yacht has been set up in uzbekistan as well, so it was big time actually will help not only china, but also all the country who want to.
You know contact with this mechanism on a regular basis and also uzbekistan actually are very friendly and also they have a very strong will to work with all the partners in a friendly way, helping to reduce a local potential conflict and also to build a freer trade in this area.
And also they are very active in introducing in the renewable energy pipelines and also technology corporations like Ruban Studio with China.
So actually they can be a pioneer and also one of the good example in this places.
And also Uzbekistan also believe in multilateralism.
They've been a very close partner in Shanghai Corporation framework.
Helping Central Asian countries together in anti-terrorism, you know, fighting against the drop trafficking and organized crime.
So I think Uzbekistan is actually a very important partner in many fronts.
You know, not only working with China, but also working with local partners in Central Asia and also the rest of the places in the world.
Okay.
And finally Professor, within one minute earlier you mentioned about the railway construction in Central Asia.
And beyond that, what other roles can China play in strengthening broader regional connectivity and trade integration across Central Asia?
Well, to be very simple, number one, we can help with infrastructures, pipelines, railways.
This is the hard connectivity we're talking about.
And also we can work with them in the reaching out in the standard and the rule of law.
This is what we call the soft connectivities.
And also we can help with them together, work with them with the human.
Human communication, person-to-person exchanges and also this is what we call the culture connectivities.
And last but not least, we can work within industries and finance.
This is what we call the productive connectivities.
So through all these connectivities, China actually can work very closely with Central Asia region to be a strong partner and achieve win-win result.
Thank you very much.
That was Qu Qiang, a fellow of Belt and Road Research Center at Minsu University of China.
Coming up.
A report says the EU cyber plan borrowing Chinese suppliers will lead to a huge cost on the block.
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I am Chuchu Zhang, Deputy Director at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Fudan University.
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The European Union's plan to restrict Chinese suppliers under new cybersecurity law could cost the bloc over 400 billion US dollars over the next five years, putting extra strain on the EU's already stretched budget.
A joint report by the China Chamber of Commerce to the EU and KPMG says the losses could come from direct economic damage, system reconstruction costs, social impacts and possible legal expenses.
The revised Cybersecurity Act limits the use of Chinese equipment across 18 sectors, including energy transport healthcare, banking and digital networks.
The move could have major implications for Chinese companies, including Huawei and ZTE.
With more.
Song Ruixin spoke with Dr Zhou Mi, a senior research fellow with the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation.
Dr. Zhou.
Brussels has identified China Russia, North Korea and Iran as high-risk countries, while highlighting China's dominant role in the inverter market.
So what evidence does the Commission have that Chinese-made products pose a materially greater cybersecurity risk than other suppliers' products?
I didn't see any kind of very material evidence to show that China's suppliers are making even higher risks.
Well, if you are talking about these four countries, I don't think that other countries are having the abilities, like China, to provide such kind of abilities to supporting the networks for the telecommunications and also internet.
You know, in the past some countries arguing that Huawei has made a lot of possible threat to the cyber securities for some kind of the Internet or kind of networks.
But they you know Huawei provided many transparency for any people who want to check the possibilities of the risks, but they didn't even find any loops for possible cybersecurity problems.
So in this point I will say that after many years, China's equipment producers are able to provide better and more secure equipment to make this internet even safer than other producers.
So I don't think that the EU commissions are really able to provide any of the evidence to support their judgment.
That is totally a kind of a nonsense judgment in my understanding.
Right.
Then let's move on to this report that is made by the China Chamber of Commerce to the EU and KPMG.
They estimate the five-year costs of replacing Chinese-linked equipment will be over 300 billion euros.
Do you think the European Commission produced its own estimate of the economic impact?
I don't think that they really think about this problem.
They always assume that there will be some alternative producers for those equipment.
But they didn't understand the fact that many of these, even for the foreign providers of these equipment, their intermediate products for the parts of this equipment, are also coming from China.
So in such a kind of global supply chains we can see that many countries are able to produce a certain kind of equipment, but definitely those equipment need to depend on the supply of China on this part in those kind of telecommunications.
So the impact will be even larger than they can imagine, because when there are fewer suppliers in the market, the suppliers will raise its prices and cost.
So that will also give our additional cost for the people who are using the equipment for the telecommunications and the networks.
And if the costs are indeed in that range, What measurable security benefits does Brussels believe will justify them?
I don't think that I really understand that the security are not just decided by the principles or even by some protocols.
Actually, the security are based on the applications, based on the real practitioners of those kind of equipments.
If the company are not able to provide our market large scale, large enough to support its security check, I don't think that they have the abilities to have a better and more secure networks.
So, compared with the experience that we have had in the past many decades, Chinese telecommunications are really more secure than many other countries.
And if you're looking at the equipment, especially from the United States, we can find that there are also some kind of backdoors in those equipments which are not even secured or they are even more dangerous when they're using that.
So without a systematic way of implementations and applications of the equipment, I don't think that the EU markets will benefit from that.
Then, if such a transition were implemented, Which sectors of the European economy would bear the largest adjustment costs, and why?
I can see that there may be two special, specific sectors.
The first one is for the public telecommunications.
And these telecommunications are.
You know, we know that there are several operators for those companies who are supplying the peoples.
And they have to change or they have to adjust their equipment to the new versions.
And they have to, you know, cost so much money.
But they will not just bear them by themselves.
They are going to transfer this additional cost to the consumer.
And the second, I would say that is, you know, in my understanding, the innovative sectors of EU.
We already found that EU companies are lagging behind compared with China and the US in the innovative industries.
But if they're not able to use good telecommunications, I think that they will suffer even more in that kind of conditions.
So you are saying telecommunications and innovative sectors of EU will bleed the most.
I've seen critics argue that reducing dependence on Chinese suppliers could raise costs and slow digital deployment and even weaken Europe's industrial competitiveness.
How does the commission respond to concerns that economic costs may outweigh the security gains?
I don't think that they really think about this problem.
Maybe they are just driven by the philosophy.
What kind of philosophy?
They thought that it is possible to not using the equipment from China will give them a better conditions.
But I don't think that that is the way the market really work.
So you know, when they are talking about the competitiveness, they are talking about the openness, they are talking about the free trade and free investments.
They are not just trying to put China as the same categories as China, you know, the so-called allies or some kind of partners like the United States or other developed economies.
So this is really our discrimination.
This is not just what they claim, that they have to adhere to the multilateral systems and also, kind of, you know, most inferior nation to all the related stakeholders.
So this will also pose many new threats for the people and also, in my understanding, many companies will suffer from that and they will decide not to stay in the EU based off the additional and very high cost of implementations for the internet connections.
Then it has been reported that the criteria for identifying high-risk suppliers are politically driven rather than evidence-based.
Do you agree with that idea?
And how does Brussels respond to accusations that this is industrial policy framed as a kind of national security?
They think that the equipment from China is equal to the NASA code.
So they are going to put more, they want to build a wall, they want to give some room for their own suppliers.
They don't understand that internationalization and collaborations are based on the market.
Without enough evidence or enough abilities to attract the investment, I don't think that many companies are really able to build a better equipment instead.
So the industrial policies, as to having something related to the market, is not just by the imaginations.
But how does the Commission intend to justify these costs to European consumers and taxpayers if concrete security evidence is not made public?
Well, definitely the consumers have to bear this additional cost or they can choose not to use the telecommunication at all.
So in understanding, especially for many European countries and states, they are not so rich.
So they depend on the affordable applications and the equipment.
I think that Chinese companies are really playing a very important role.
If you are looking at the evidence from the United States when they are trying to ban the equipment from Huawei and Chinese suppliers, the public has suffered a lot by not able to fulfill their task as before or they have to use additional cost to make it workable for replace the equipment.
So EU is much weaker compared with U.S. market as suppliers are not that much compared with U.S.
So I will say that if this law really came into force, there will be so many criticized from the public and also the supply chains in the EU will be even broken.
Does the Commission currently believe Europe has sufficient alternative suppliers capable of replacing Chinese products at scale?
I think that there may be some kind of marketings or kind of companies who want to persuade that the EU is doing a right decision, but they are not having success enough.
Abilities, like for certain kind of equipment, like for the, you know, for the routers.
I think that TP-Link and other suppliers from China are really taking over 50% of the market share.
So if they are not able to enter the EU market, I don't think that the rest will be able to fill in that.
Gaps and the market demand has to be shrink or they have to pay much more higher compared to the past.
That was Joe Mi, a senior research fellow with the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation.
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China's robotics sector is rapidly expanding overseas.
In the first three months of this year, the country's industrial robot exports topped 3 billion yuan, or around US460 million, up more than 40 year-on-year.
Cleaning robots have emerged as the biggest export category, accounting for over two-thirds of the total export value.
China now exports robotic products to 148 countries and regions.
For more.
Xu Yaowen spoke with Professor Liu Baocheng, director of the Center for International Business Ethics and the University of International Business and Economics.
Professor Liu, in just the first quarter of this year, the total export value of China's robotics sector reached over 11 billion yuan.
Could you elaborate on the main driving factors behind the accelerated pace of overseas market expansion for China's robot industry?
Yes, the accelerated overseas expansion of the robot industry is really driven by the convergence of global demand and also the Chinese manufacturing capability.
So it is really a strategic shift by companies towards the international marketplace.
So first, the global manufacturing trends are really creating significant demand in which the Chinese robot manufacturer can really grasp such sort of opportunity, particularly in those emerging regions like Southeast Asia Mexico, Eastern Europe.
And the advanced industrialized nations are also accelerating their automation upgrades.
So China is really facing two types of market, with its unique position to really serve on both sides.
And second, Chinese domestic market has already created a fierce competitive environment.
So therefore it is really a spillover by the intense competition, but also there to benefit the global marketplace with lower price and also predictable performance.
So third, I think the technological maturity and the cost advantage are there to win global market popularity.
Also, the technological iteration, also the varieties that China has been offering. in the Pacific area are also there to popularize its global outreach.
If we break down the numbers here, cleaning robots account for over 68 of China's total robot export value, and these include robot vacuums and advanced window cleaning units.
So what advantages do you think China's cleaning robots have compared with other countries' similar products?
And what are the core factors for their successful overseas expansion?
Because we know Chinese manufacturers such as Robot Rock, Xiaomi and Cloud Whale have taken the top five spots in global shipments in terms of the cleaning robots.
Yeah, actually in front of me there is a cleaning robot in my home and it It really substantially reduced the workload to clean the home, which is a far more important assistance to my wife.
By my co-author from the United States, a famous professor.
He is really very envious of robots at home and he's also trying to seek to buy one.
So I can identify several factors for such a good performance in the marketplace.
First is really the cost leadership, because this is really fundamental among many Chinese products.
So the Chinese complete supply chain for sensors, For motors, for batteries and plastic components.
They allow the manufacturer to produce high specification cleaning robots at price points where the competitors cannot really match, without sacrificing their core functionality.
And second reason is that, as I mentioned, is really the iteration cycle.
Given the computation and also given the technological drive, Chinese companies are really struggling to remain at the cutting edge with the technological advancement both in improvement of the hardware and software.
So the identification of obstacle avoidance, the mopping system, the self-emptying mechanism and also the self-serving in water supply.
So these are really something that is continually to attract attention of existing users for upgrading, and also it produces the envy for those who have not really bought one.
So the second reason is really the early mover advantage, because when we are there to first to occupy the marketplace and there has been a reasonable reliance on the continued supply and continued service of the Chinese supply,
Lastly, I think it is really the ecosystem that China has really created, because it is not only the cleaning facility being robotized at home, but also many of those Chinese plants investing overseas factories.
They also use the large scale cleaning machines.
So that's something that can really spread across the entire supply chain, to their suppliers and to their distributors.
So this really has a fertilization effect around the globe.
Professor Liu.
Another highlight is China's industrial robots, and this sector's exports achieved a 42 year-on-year growth in the first quarter of this year, which is very impressive.
So what is really driving this remarkable growth?
I think the core is really to trust trust in the continued supply, trust in the stabilized performance and trust in the continued service.
Therefore China has become the net exporter of those robots.
In that we also follow very closely with the customer dynamics, where the customer's feedback in terms of the actual utility, actual problems they face, normally in understanding the language, etc.
So this really drives the Chinese producers and distributors in a continuous improvement cycle.
So they follow very much a new trend in the consumer preference and also the continued improvement not only in the active performance of the robots but also in the continually entrenched new energy supply and also in those applications In those advanced sectors.
It really showcases the Chinese industrial capacity.
It's no longer limited to a simple pick and place operation, but rather deployed as automatic body in the actual industrial space operation, like wielding, like the shipbuilding edge branding and high precision assembly segments.
So these areas all require exceptional reliability, which was used to be occupied by some of the global brands like ABB KUKA.
China is now stretching the market share and also occupying a larger part of it, in a healthy competition, I should say.
And lastly, Professor, so have robots emerged as China's new export engine?
From catching up to rising, what's next for China's robot industry?
Well, I think now, with the drive of new productive forces championed by the Chinese government, and with all the policy support, from finance to the land concessions for robot making, And particularly now with the rising groups of those digital geniuses that are there in the team,
So robots are definitely emerging as a significant new avenue for Chinese export earning capacity.
And also the ecosystem is also there with the building of new batteries, with the solar panels.
Now we can really envision several horizons.
One is really to deepen the Chinese industrial robot penetration, particularly in those higher value segments, for more of the precision-specific utility.
And second, the skill up of the hominoid, the robots, into real application is something that points to the direction.
So the large-scale commercialization of those humanoids.
I think now it is important for China to continue to innovate and, more importantly, to shape its brand, because most of the made in China are considered to be a lower price with only reasonable quality.
Now we need really to build up a more famous brand with more of the efforts and creative ideas.
So by combination of the software and hardware, improvement together in those ecosystem from manufacture to distribution along supply chain.
So we are very hopeful that we continue to lead the global utility and development of the Chinese robotization programs.
That was Liu Baocheng, director of the Center for International Business Ethics and the University of International Business and Economics.
The World Health Organization is working on contact tracing after a hantavirus outbreak on a luxury cruise ship.
The MV Honduras is expected to dock in Spain's Tenerife in the Canary Islands within three days.
Around 150 passengers and crew remain on board.
Eight cases of hantavirus have been reported, with at least three confirmed by laboratory testing and three deaths.
Another case has been reported in southern Argentina, but it's unclear if it's related to the cruise ship.
For more.
We are joined by Wu Jiwei, professor of virology at Dali University in southwest China's Yunnan province.
Thank you for joining us, Professor Wu.
First of all, let's start from the basics.
What exactly is this hantavirus and how is it transmitted?
Well plantar virus refers to a group of viruses found in rodents that can cause severe respiratory tract or kidney failure in humans.
It actually spreads through contact with the infected rodent's droppings, urine, or saliva.
What symptoms does it cause and how dangerous can it be for human beings?
One of the major symptoms are high fevers and also there are two different types of symptoms.
One is so-called Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which actually affects the lungs and usually would cause symptoms lung function failure problems.
The other actually is called the hemorrhagic fever, with the renal syndrome which actually affects the kidneys.
This type of syndrome is pretty common in Europe and Asia.
And then usually the second type is usually more severe, because you will have quite a systemic organ failure and damage.
Then how are hantavirus patients usually treated?
And are there any effective antiviral therapies or vaccines available?
No.
Unfortunately, there is no specific therapeutic agent for the hantavirus infection.
And also there is no vaccines either.
Mostly for infected patients.
Actually clinically, is that you're trying to?
You know, check quickly into hospitals and get a good rest and some general antiviral treatment?
And also in the severe cases, there is a so-called body fluid replacement therapy, basically trying to improve the circulation and reduce the viral titers.
Reports say hantavirus outbreaks are relatively rare.
Then what makes this cruise ship outbreak especially unusual and concerning?
The hantavirus from the epidemiological study indicated very clearly that in a closed space hantavirus tend to transmit more efficiently.
Because there are some evidence with certain antivirus strains.
Actually it can be transmitted relatively easily through the aerosol transmission, although it's not very common, particularly for the virus like this one species which is known to be transmitted through this aerosol.
So I think that's one of the major reasons why this outbreak in a cruise ship actually is so severe, because the hantavirus usually is not transmitted through human to humans, but the cruise ship is a relatively close to space and also people share many different common facilities.
So I think this is one of the major reasons.
Now, the ship that is getting global attention is set to dock in Spain within days.
What immediate measures should be taken on board to prevent further transmission before docking?
Well, I think you know it's very critically.
Is you know the effects of the individuals who should be transferred to the local hospital receiving ICU treatment and also trying to reduce the virus infection syndrome symptoms?
The second is that the cruise ship should have a thorough check and cleaning up on the potential rodent industry.
But I think that's one of the major reasons in the in the cruise ship actually there are plenty of food and that those animals have no natural, natural careers you know to be worried about.
So that's why it's a particular problem if you have a hantavirus outbreak in a cruise ship.
I think there are a bunch of public health measures that should be taken in the cruise ship.
Of course, you need to have a thorough cleaning of all the facilities and also check the food and other things.
Once the ship arrives, what are the public health challenges that Spanish authorities will face?
Well, I think there is no particular concern right now because the cruise ship probably would be docking in a Spanish port, away from the public.
And I think you know the local public health authorities probably would need to do, you know, the disinfection of the ships and the cleaning up all the facilities before allow the crews, the individuals personnel, getting on land on the port.
So, since I just said that the hantavirus transmission is not that very easily, it's not very common and human-to-human transmission.
Of course, in this case actually, the endless stream is a stream that can be transmitted through human-to-human contact.
But still this is not a high priority in terms of worrying about the spreading into a general population.
Now, the World Health Organization is coordinating contact tracing across multiple countries.
What makes tracing and containment particularly difficult in an international cruise ship outbreak like this?
Well, I think one of the key elements here is that this happens in a cruise ship.
We know that a cruise ship actually travels from port to port and the passengers get off the port and visit cities.
So it's not very straightforward to find out where the origin of the virus is or whether the individuals who are developing symptoms actually they were infected before they boarded the cruise ship.
Based on the information I saw, people suspect that the Dutch couple actually, before they boarded the ship, they already were infected, but of course this needs proof.
But in terms of tracing, it's always difficult to find out where the virus actually came from and how they were transmitted from time to time.
And finally, what lessons should the global cruise industry and public health system learn from this deadly outbreak to prevent future hantavirus or viral cluster emergencies and, of course, other infectious diseases?
Well, the cruise industry has been hit for a number of times by various different types of infections.
Coronavirus infection, flu infection, enterovirus infection, and this time the hantavirus infection.
So clearly cruise ship is.
You know, in a sense it's kind of an incubator for those highly transmissible virus infections.
It's quite understandable because the cruise ship is quite enclosed space.
And a lot of people are packed into a small space and sharing the similar facilities.
So if somebody is infected, then the virus will spread very quickly into general population.
So in that sense, actually from the public health point of view, it's very important that cruise ship will keep a constant monitoring of the infection.
And also they need to maintain the facilities in highly disinfected conditions.
And also they probably need to frequently check some highly circulating viruses in the ship facilities.
But of course, in terms of monitoring and checking, it's not that straightforward.
But with cruise ships, the large population in the ship, I think this is very important.
We have learned a lot of lessons in the past Once the infection breaks out, it actually spreads.
It could spread very quickly.
Thank you very much.
That was Wu Jiwei, professor of virology at Dali University.
Coming up, Samsung to cease sales of home appliances on the Chinese mainland.
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Global electronics maker Samsung has announced that it's to cease sales of all home appliance products on the Chinese mainland market.
It's expected to continue sales of mobile phones and chips in the market.
The company said the decision was made in the face of a rampantly changing market environment.
According to market consultancy AVC Revo, as of April 5, Samsung's offline market share in China's refrigerator and washing machine were both less than half a percent, ranking 14th and 15th respectively.
For more.
We're joined by Professor John Gong, with the University of International Business and Economics.
Welcome to the show, Professor.
Great to be here.
First of all, after over three decades in the Chinese mainland market, how did Samsung lose its once leading position in the home appliance market? well i think fundamentally this is all driven by market competition i think there might be several factors explaining uh samsung's thinking market share on the chinese market i think the most important reason that i have read about is uh is respect to its decision making the decision making is based in south korea Obviously, the changing dynamics of the Chinese market might be reflected in the decision-making back in South Korea quite late.
And also, I think, the manufacturing base located in China for making these appliances and other products a catering to the international market, a catering to the global market, I would say.
So when you try to come up with a product that catering to the entire global market, you tend to sort of neglect the needs and special requirements of the Chinese market obviously.
So I think it's kind of a difficult situation to try to compete.
And another probably important reason is that Samsung's internal resources are heavily tilted towards semiconductors handsets, where samsung sort of have a leadership role uh in the global market particularly, for example, in memories right, and also in handsets as well.
So i think the appliances, uh stuff is uh, i mean these are.
These are products where samsung is competing fiercely with several domestic companies here in China.
And you see a steady decline of its market share in the marketplace.
I guess this leads up to its final decision that it's cutting loss and pack up and leave.
And Samsung will also keep selling mobile phones and chips in China while exiting home appliances.
What does this reveal about its long-term China market strategy?
Well, I think it reveals more about its product strategy.
I think Samsung is clearly focusing on the products that it has a strong leadership on.
It has a competitive advantage in manufacturing chips, particularly memory chips, as well as handsets.
Hence, the market share in China is actually not that large.
But from a global perspective it is the second.
I think it's the first or the second largest cell phone manufacturer in the world.
So it still maintains a very strong position.
So these are the product lines that Samsung wants to keep here in China.
But when it comes to appliances, they were lagging way behind.
So that's why it's sort of cutting off its supply to China's domestic market in that space.
Nevertheless, I also want to emphasize that Samsung is still keeping its manufacturing facilities, still producing appliances, but not to the Chinese market, but supplied to the international markets.
And then do you think Samsung's exit will trigger a new round of strategic adjustments for other foreign home appliance brands operating in the Chinese mainland market?
It's possible.
I think the next one that might be suspected to be doing the same thing might be Japanese companies.
I think the bottom line is that the Chinese companies, the indigenous companies, have become incredibly competitive.
So it's increasingly getting more and more difficult to compete in China.
Not just from a cost perspective, from a pricing perspective, but also from a technology development perspective.
Chinese companies are moving very fast.
They know the local market.
They have a very rich set of products, and it's extremely competitive.
So I think it's a very difficult market to compete after all.
And as Chinese home appliance brands become increasingly competitive, as you said, how can foreign home appliance companies adapt to the market change?
Well, I guess we have to differentiate.
In some sort of high-end products, Some foreign companies' products are still quite competitive.
You have to differentiate.
You have to move quite fast.
You have to develop unique strength.
You have to develop technology-driven, innovation-driven products.
That's probably the strategies that I would recommend.
And another thing is today in the white appliance space, the competition is very global in nature.
So what companies can do is to focus on some regional markets, some geographic markets, so as to differentially from the Chinese powerhouses.
Do you think that in China, the consumers purchasing habits and their preferences are changing?
And how can the foreign home appliance companies adapt to these changes of the Chinese consumers?
Well, I guess one noticeable change that I have come to realize is that in the Chinese appliance market electronics, home electronics market, there is no animated values associated with foreign brands.
They don't have actual pricing power.
For example, if you talk about a refrigerator, a higher refrigerator, a MAD refrigerator versus a Samsung refrigerator, or even a Siemens refrigerator, I don't think Chinese consumers would attach high value to these foreign brands.
The brand itself doesn't mean much, I would say.
And they have to compete on features, they have to compete on quality, they have to compete on price.
So I think you know this is a changing assumption in this market and very much due to the rise of the indigenous brands, you know, improvement in their products and the competitiveness of the company.
Okay.
Thank you very much.
That was Professor John Gong with the University of International Business and Economics.
That's all the time for this edition of World Today.
I'm Dou Hongyu in Beijing.
Thank you so much for listening.
Bye for now.
