Chinese manufacturers are demanding as much as 50 percent upon signing a contract for badly needed personal protective equipment and the other 50 percent before the goods are handed over. — The Wall Street JournalMacau casino operators are expected to show a 95 percent drop in their earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization for the first quarter. — Bloomberg NewsUnit sales of fully electric vehicles more than doubled in Europe in the first quarter compared with the first quarter of 2019. In China, sales fell by more than half in the quarter because of the lockdown. — Bloomberg NewsChina’s biggest tissue and toilet paper maker, Vinda International Holdings, posted its most profitable quarter since 2015. Net profit rose by 65 percent. — South China Morning Post China is launching a digital currency, the first electronic payment system run by a major central bank. Credit: Aleksandra Sova, Shutterstock Quote of the Week China’s social secu