China reported no new confirmed coronavirus cases in the mainland as of the end of May 28, down from two a day earlier, the country’s health authority said on Friday.
The National Health Commission also confirmed five new asymptomatic coronavirus cases on May 28, down from 23 a day earlier.
Earlier, UN chief Antonio Guterres called for debt relief to be offered to all developing and middle-income countries amid the coronavirus pandemic and urged the International Monetary Fund to consider boosting global liquidity by issuing a new allocation of its Special Drawing Rights currency.
“Alleviating crushing debt cannot be limited to the Least Developed Countries,” Guterres told a UN meeting on the pandemic’s economic fallout. “It must be extended to all developing and middle-income countries that request forbearance as they lose access to financial markets.”
The world’s developing economies – already struggling with a growing debt burden – must now confront a record global downturn, plummeting prices for oil and commodities exports and weakening currencies.
“Many developing and middle-income countries are highly vulnerable and already in debt distress or will soon become so, due to the global recession,” Guterres said.
The Group of 20 major economies, including China, in April offered to suspend bilateral debt payments by the 77 poorest countries for the rest of 2020.
World Bank President David Malpass said about half the eligible countries were participating, but longer-term debt relief was needed and many would need a permanent and significant debt reduction.
