China bans uncertified and recalled power banks on planes
China's aviation regulator will from Saturday ban passengers from carrying power banks without Chinese safety certification markings, as well as those recently recalled by manufacturers because of safety concerns.
The move, which applies to anyone boarding a flight in China, follows a series of incidents globally involving lithium battery products, including power banks, overheating on planes.
South Korea said a spare power bank was a possible cause of a fire that engulfed an Air Busan plane in January, and in March a Hong Kong Airlines flight from China to Hong Kong was forced to land in China due to a fire in an overhead baggage compartment.
Lithium batteries in devices such as laptops, mobile phones, electronic cigarettes and power banks can produce smoke, fire or extreme heat when manufacturing faults or damage cause them to short circuit. They are a growing concern for aviation safety as passengers carry more battery-powered items on flights.
Last year three incidents every two weeks of overheating lithium batteries on planes were recorded globally by the US Federal Aviation Administration, compared to just under one a week in 2018.
China's Civil Aviation Administration said on Thursday power banks must be clearly marked with '3C' certification, short for China Compulsory Certification, which authorities require for products that could impact health, safety, and environmental protection.
Several leading power bank manufacturers in China including Anker and Romoss have this month recalled batches of battery products due to safety concerns. China's market regulator has revoked or suspended the 3C certification of several power bank and battery cell manufacturers.
Since the Air Busan incident, airlines globally have been tightening power bank rules. Aviation rules generally say power banks should be carried in cabin baggage, but increasingly airlines are banning their use on board and say they must be kept within view to spot any problems.
China has since 2014 forbidden passengers from charging devices using power banks during flights.
Southwest Airlines at the end of May became the first US airline to say portable charging devices must be visible while in use during flight.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
an hour ago
- Arab News
Philippines' financial center taps tourism department to become halal hub
MANILA: Philippine business leaders in Makati City are collaborating with the Department of Tourism to make the country's financial center an all-encompassing halal hub for both trade and tourism, the head of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry's Makati chapter said on Saturday. Makati City in Metro Manila is popularly known as the Philippines' central business district, hosting the highest concentration of banks and corporations in the country, as well as foreign embassies. For the last few years, the predominantly Catholic Philippines — where Muslims constitute about 10 percent of the nearly 120 million population — has been working to raise 230 billion pesos ($4 billion) in investments and generate around 120,000 jobs by expanding its domestic halal industry by 2028. The DoT signed on Friday a memorandum of agreement with PCCI Makati to pool efforts and encourage the implementation of halal standards across hotels and restaurants in the city, as part of an effort to attract Muslim tourists. 'The memorandum signed yesterday with DoT is really to encourage the local establishments in Makati City to participate or embrace the halal standards,' PCCI Makati President Nunnatus Cortez told Arab News. 'These are the initial steps to turn the city into a halal hub; that's the main objective.' PCCI Makati has been a leading figure in efforts to make the city a halal hub. Friday's agreement follows a memorandum of understanding the chamber signed last year with the Department of Trade and Industry, which sought to position the city as a central point for innovation and business in the halal sector. 'Halal, after all, is now a way of life. From the DoT's point of view, this is how we complete the loop — the entire ecosystem required to support both halal trade and tourism,' Cortez said. Earlier this month the Philippines was recognized as a rising Muslim-friendly destination at the Halal in Travel Global Summit, after having achieved a similar feat in previous years. The country's halal drive has included efforts to cater to Muslim tourists, by ensuring they have access to halal products and services. Cortez believes Makati City is at an advantage to boost halal travel as it is the location of many foreign missions, including that of Muslim nations. 'Almost all Muslim embassies are in Makati. We know that foreign delegates, embassy staff, and even their citizens often visit here — and Makati is usually their starting point,' he said. 'What we're doing now is trying to capture the attention of all Muslim embassies. If their VIPs or citizens come to Makati and make it their base for activities, then everything else will follow.' He believes that efforts to turn Makati into a halal hub will have a ripple effect across the archipelago nation, as the city is widely perceived as a trendsetter for other regions in the Philippines. He added: 'If we can begin by making places like malls and hotels halal-compliant, that would already be a meaningful first step. We believe that whatever Makati does, other cities will follow its lead. That's our mindset.'
Arab News
an hour ago
- Arab News
Pakistan tops global emerging market rankings in sovereign risk improvement — Bloomberg Intelligence
KARACHI: Pakistan has recorded the world's sharpest decline in sovereign default risk over the past year, topping Bloomberg Intelligence's Global Emerging Market (EM) Rankings for credit risk improvement, according to new data cited by a senior finance official on Saturday. The data, published by Bloomberg's research arm, showed that Pakistan's credit default swap-implied probability of default fell from 59 percent to 47 percent over the past 12 months, a drop of 11 percentage points. The change marks the biggest reduction among tracked emerging markets, outpacing countries like Argentina, Tunisia and Nigeria, as default risk rose in others such as Egypt, Gabon and Turkiye. Credit default swaps (CDS) are insurance-like financial contracts that allow investors to hedge against the risk of a government failing to repay its debt. Issued and traded by large financial institutions, these contracts pay out in the event of a default. The higher the cost of a CDS, the greater the perceived risk. Bloomberg Intelligence uses CDS pricing to assess a country's sovereign risk in its Global EM Rankings. 'Pakistan stands out globally as the most improved economy in terms of reduction in sovereign default risk,' said Khurram Schehzad, adviser to the finance minister, in a social media post. 'This is a resounding signal to global investors: Pakistan is not only back on the map— it is moving forward with stability, credibility, and reform at its core,' he added. Bloomberg Intelligence is a highly regarded financial data and media company widely used by global investors, analysts and institutions. The improvement in Pakistan's risk profile comes after the South Asian nation narrowly avoided a sovereign default in 2023. With dwindling reserves and mounting debt repayments, Islamabad secured a short-term bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) with the support of key allies including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and China. Since then, Pakistan has undertaken a series of IMF-recommended structural reforms and fiscal adjustments aimed at stabilizing the economy. Credit rating agencies such as Standard & Poor's and Fitch have acknowledged the progress with improved outlooks, while the government has prioritized timely debt servicing and macroeconomic discipline. Schehzad attributed the improved outlook to 'macroeconomic stabilization, structural reforms, successful IMF engagement and timely debt repayments,' noting that investor confidence had begun to return.
Al Arabiya
5 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Lawmakers want US Commerce Department to probe Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus
Two US lawmakers on Friday asked the Commerce Department to investigate whether devices sold by Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus in the United States pose security concerns, according to a letter seen by Reuters. Why it matters Representative John Moolenaar, a Republican who chairs a House of Representatives committee on China, and the panel's top Democrat, Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, noted that major U.S. retailers sell OnePlus devices for use on two U.S. wireless networks. The lawmakers said a recent analysis by a commercial company provided to the committee indicates that these devices may potentially collect and transmit extensive user data -- including sensitive personal information to servers under Chinese jurisdiction without explicit user consent. Shenzhen-based OnePlus did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The U.S. Commerce Department also did not immediately comment. Context BestBuy and both sell OnePlus phones for U.S. consumers, which operate on the Verizon and T-Mobile networks, the committee said. The lawmakers asked the department to task its Information and Communications Technology and Services program with investigating OnePlus phones, including to determine user data types collected by OnePlus devices without explicit user consent 'including potential transfers of sensitive personal information and screenshots.' Washington in recent years has cracked down on Chinese telecoms, revoking the authorization for China Telecom's US subsidiary and others to operate in the United States, citing national security concerns. The Federal Communications Commission in November 2022 banned approvals of new telecommunications equipment from Huawei and ZTE as well as telecom and video surveillance equipment from Hytera Communications, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Zhejiang Dahua Technology Co.
