China has reported 249 new confirmed coronavirus infections, health officials said, up from 224 a day earlier, with a record number of imported cases including dozens among arrivals from Hong Kong, where infections are surging.

Of the new cases, 156 were imported and 93 were locally transmitted, the National Health Commission said.

Of the imported cases, 59 were in Guangdong, which borders Hong Kong, which was the source of 55 cases, according to the provincial health authority. The commercial city of Shanghai, a hub for the few international flights remaining under China's aggressive pandemic measures, accounted for 55 imported cases, according to a Reuters report.