People across China rang in the Lunar New Year on Sunday with large family gatherings and crowds visiting temples after the government lifted its strict "zero-COVID" policy.

It would make more sense to screen a plane's wastewater to look for new variants than to screen individual passenger volunteers, some researchers say. Others say any information is helpful.

Zhao Lijian, a foreign ministry spokesman known for his combative approach, was reassigned. The change is mostly tactical, but analysts see a window of opportunity to improve China-U.S. relations.

Residents held vigils to commemorate people who have died in lockdown. Several have been arrested.

The ability of residents Hong Kong to cross into mainland is one of the most visible signs of China's easing of border restrictions, with travelers arriving no longer required to undergo quarantines.

Any day now, the United Nations will declare India's population the largest in the world. The country's next generation is poised to be healthier, more literate — and more female — than ever before.

As case counts surge in China, rumors circulate about the effectiveness and safety of the made-in-China vaccines in use there. Here's what we know about CoronaVac and Sinopharm.

China's diplomacy will offer "Chinese wisdom, Chinese initiatives and Chinese strength," Qin said in his first statement as foreign minister. He is seen as one of Xi Jinping's trusted aides.

In announcing the step, the CDC pointed to the surge in COVID-19 cases in China. The measure will go into effect on Jan. 5 for all passengers over the age of 2.

China says it will resume issuing ordinary visas and passports, setting up a potential flood of millions of Chinese going abroad for next month's Lunar New Year holiday.

Companies welcomed China's decision to end quarantines for travelers from abroad as an important step to revive slumping business activity.

The scrapping of the quarantine requirement starting Jan. 8 is a major step toward reopening travel with the rest of the world, which the government severely curtailed in a bid to keep the virus out.

China's National Health Commission said in a statement it would no longer publish daily data and that "from now on, the Chinese CDC will release relevant COVID information for reference and research."

Health officials are concerned that people traveling home to their villages for the Lunar New Year could turn celebrations into superspreader events, catching ill-prepared rural systems off guard.

Digital privacy experts are skeptical of proposed TikTok bans, saying they are more about geopolitical tension than the social media app.