Icy treat: A man enjoying an ice cream in Beijing amid the heat. — AFP
Sweltering heat enveloped China’s eastern seaboard, as a high-pressure system settled over the country’s most populous region, baking key agricultural and manufacturing hubs along the Yangtze river and raising fears of droughts and economic losses.
Large swathes of China’s economic heartland are set to roast in temperatures of 37-39°C over the coming week. Forecasters are warning that parts of Anhui and Zhejiang provinces, as well as the more central provinces of Hubei and Henan, could top 40°C.
