Tokyo | China has placed more than 50 million people under lockdown as it struggles to battle multiple outbreaks of the “stealth” Omicron sub-variant, raising concerns about the stability of the world’s second-largest economy and triggering a sell-off on commodity and equity markets.

China’s National Health Commission said on Tuesday daily COVID-19 cases had doubled in 24 hours to 5,154, raising fresh fears about disruptions to major supply chain arteries at a time when the global economy is already reeling from the Ukraine crisis.