Central China

The first passenger plane from the Chinese province of Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic that killed more than 6 million worldwide, has landed in Istanbul after a two-and-a-half-year halt due to COVID-19.

China Southern Airlines' airliner with flight number CZ8021 arrived in Istanbul Airport at 9.30 p.m. on June 29.

Tens of thousands of people were being evacuated from flood-hit regions of central China on July 22 as officials raised the death toll from heavy rains that have deluged Henan province for almost a week to 33 people.

Turkey on July 21 extended condolences to Beijing over deadly flooding in central China.

"We are deeply saddened that the floods in the Henan province of the People's Republic of China (PRC) have claimed more than 25 lives and resulted in the evacuation of many people from the area," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Covid-19 was first detected in the central city of Wuhan in late 2019