Officials in Beijing on Monday reported 99 new cases in the Chinese capital on May 22, the highest tally to date in its month-long outbreak, while Shanghai prepares to reopen next week

Prolonged Covid lockdowns, plus the serious housing market downturn has foreign investors questioning if China is losing its pragmatic approach to managing the economy", report says

The US tech giant is said to be planning to increase output outside China at sites it has shortlisted in India and Vietnam after being hit hard by Covid lockdowns

The fund's deputy managing director Kenji Okamura said the Covid pandemic, war in Ukraine and tougher global financial conditions would make this year "challenging" for Asia

The technology hub has been steadily allowing more businesses to reopen and letting larger numbers of residents leave home after a Covid lockdown of nearly seven weeks.

From Friday, travellers from Dallas, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Chicago will no longer need an RT-PCR test seven days before flying, or any antibody test

Deputy Mayor Zong Ming said Shanghai would be reopened in stages, with movement curbs largely to stay in place until May 21. But dozens of Covid cases still found in Beijing

Property sales in China saw their biggest monthly fall in 16 years in April as Covid lockdowns sapped demand despite moves by officials to ease borrowing limits and revive the sector

Immigration agents and lawyers said there has been a spike in inquiries in the past month, the report said

Shopping malls, department stores, and supermarkets will begin resuming in-store operations and allow customers to shop in "an orderly way", while hair salons and vegetable markets will reopen with limited capacity

Commercial hub Shanghai hoped to exit a painful six-week-old lockdown later this month as authorities hoped one last round of tightening would eradicate the last infections in one of the worst Covid outbreaks in China

Officials in Beijing denied rumours of sweeping Shanghai-type curbs, asking people not to panic-buy but to stay at home, while also announcing a fresh round of mass testing.