India suspends visas issued to Chinese passport holders before Feb 5

The restriction is not applicable to people of Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

As the death toll crossed over 500 in the coronavirus outbreak, immigration officials have suspended all visas issued before February 5 to all Chinese passport holders from any part of the world, apart from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

"All visas issued to Chinese passport holders coming from anywhere in the world, including regular (sticker) and e-visa issued before February 5, have been suspended with immediate effect," the officials said.

"The above restriction on travel is not applicable to the Chinese passport holders of Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan," they added.

The officials stated that in case of compelling reasons to travel to India, such persons may get in touch with the Indian Embassy in Beijing or consulates in Shanghai and Guangzhou for a new visa.

On Wednesday, the Ministry of Health (MoH) issued a revised travel advisory in wake of the coronavirus outbreak and said extending visas, including already issued eVisa, are no longer valid for any foreign national travelling from China.

The ministry said that intending visitors may contact the Indian Embassy in Beijing or the consulates in Shanghai and Guangzhou to apply afresh for an Indian visa.

It said people have already been advised to refrain from travel to China through an earlier advisory. "People traveling to China henceforth will be quarantined on return," the MoH said.

"The Indian Embassy in China continues to remain contactable round the clock on two hotline numbers +8618610952903 and +8618612083629 and the email -helpdesk.beijing@mea.gov.in. Indian nationals. In need of any assistance may get in touch with the Embassy on these hotlines and email," it added.

The ministry also said for any queries related to health, a person may contact on Ministry of Health and Family Welfare 24x7 helpline number +91-11-23978046 or email at ncov2019@gmail.com.

China coronavirus death toll rises to 170; confirmed cases soar to 7,711

Chinese President Xi Jinping called the coronavirus a "demon" which should be brought under control.

International News : The nationwide death toll from China's novel coronavirus epidemic has jumped to 170 with 38 more fatalities reported mainly from the worst-affected central Hubei province, the government said on Thursday, while confirming more than 1,700 new infections.

The coronavirus outbreak began in Wuhan, capital of China's Hubei province, in December and has now spread across the globe. The Chinese authorities are trying to contain the epidemic while other countries, including India, are working on plans to evacuate their citizens from Wuhan and other cities in Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called the coronavirus a "demon" which should be brought under control, pledging that the government would be transparent and release information on the virus in a "timely" manner.

China's National Health Commission said on Thursday that 7,711 confirmed cases of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus had been reported in 31 provincial-level regions and in the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps by the end of Wednesday.

A total of 170 people have died of the disease, it said.

It said in its daily report that 1,370 patients remained in critical conditions, and 12,167 people were suspected of being infected with the virus by the end of Wednesday.

A total of 124 people have been discharged from hospital after recovery.

A total of 1,737 new confirmed cases, including the first in Tibet, and 4,148 new suspected cases, and 38 deaths - 37 in Hubei Province and one in Sichuan Province - were reported by Wednesday.

Apple has a backup plan if the US-China trade war triggers iPhone tariffs

Apple has not given Hon Hai instructions to move production out of China, but it is capable of moving lines elsewhere according to customers' needs.

Business Standard : Apple has a backup plan if the US-China trade war gets out of hand.

The Cupertino-based company’s primary manufacturing partner has enough capacity to make all iPhones bound for the U.S. outside of China if necessary, according to a senior executive at Hon Hai Precision Industry.

The Taiwanese contract manufacturer now makes most of the smartphones in the Chinese mainland.

China is a crucial cog in Apple’s business, the origin of most of its iPhones and iPads as well as its largest international market.

But President Donald Trump has threatened Beijing with new tariffs on about $300 billion worth of Chinese goods, an act that would escalate tensions dramatically while levying a punitive tax on Apple’s most profitable product.

Hon Hai, known also as Foxconn, is the American giant’s most important manufacturing partner. It will fully support Apple if it needs to adjust its production as the US-Chinese trade spat gets grimmer and more unpredictable, board nominee and semiconductor division chief Young Liu told an investor briefing in Taipei on Tuesday.

“Twenty-five percent of our production capacity is outside of China and we can help Apple respond to its needs in the US market,” Liu said.

Liu also added that investments are now being made in India for Apple. “We have enough capacity to meet Apple’s demand.”

Apple has not given Hon Hai instructions to move production out of China, but it is capable of moving lines elsewhere according to customers’ needs, Liu added.

It’s unclear if India will ever become a major production base. Foxconn is now running quality tests for the iPhone XR series there and plans to begin mass production at a facility in the suburbs of Chennai. Older models are already assembled at a Wistron plant in Bengaluru.

Foxconn has also agreed to build a 13,000-worker facility in Wisconsin in exchange for more than $4.5 billion in government incentives. But that project has since come under criticism for low-paying jobs, sudden dismissals and ever-changing goals. On Tuesday, executives reaffirmed that employment goal, saying construction remained on schedule and that it will hire as many as 2,000 Americans by the end of 2020.

It will also start making networking and server products for the U.S. market by the end of next year, on top of LCDs starting next year, Liu said.