Over the last three years, China has largely closed its borders and kept its people at home, withdrawing from the global engagement that has underpinned its rise.
As the country now prepares to gradually reopen its doors to help save its crippled economy, the world is excited about the potential benefits to business and tourism, but is wary of exposing the country at risk of an explosion of Covid-19 cases. New COVID-19 Omicron Variant China Lifts Travel Rules, Increases Caution Due To COVID-19 Outbreak
From January 8, China will lift strict quarantine requirements for overseas travelers and lift rules limiting the number of flights and incoming passengers. It will begin processing applications for Chinese passports and mainland permits to visit Hong Kong and make it easier for foreigners to obtain visas for business, study and family reunions.
Flight bookings immediately soared as the Chinese headed out the door and planned their long-delayed family reunion. Business groups and economists hailed the easing as an important step in restoring confidence in China’s prospects. On a popular social media page, the French Embassy in China wrote: “Friends of China, France welcomes you with open arms!”
However, that optimism was tempered by concern about China’s handling of an explosive wave of infections as it abruptly abandons its “zero Covid” strategy. Hospitals and funeral homes were overcrowded and medical supplies were limited. The central government has also failed to provide reliable data or forecasts on Covid infections and deaths, raising concerns about the scale of the outbreak and credibility in Beijing.
Many would-be travelers to China have expressed concern about contracting Covid in a country where medical supplies have run out. Others have wondered how China will welcome foreigners after inflaming nationalism and even xenophobia during the pandemic.
Despite the tempting prospects for Chinese tourists, several countries and cities are concerned about the potential influx of tourists. In Italy, the health minister said on Wednesday that all travelers from China must undergo a Covid-19 antigen test on arrival so the virus can be sequenced if detected.
“This step is important to ensure surveillance and detection of possible variants of the virus in order to protect the Italian population,” said Minister Orazio Scilacci.
Japan said it would limit the number and destinations of flights from China and would require those who have recently traveled to the country to be tested on arrival and placed in quarantine for a week if they test positive.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the restrictions were necessary due to a lack of transparency about the spread of Covid in China.
“There is a lot of inconsistency in information about infections coming from central and local authorities, as well as from government and the civil sector,” he said. “This makes it difficult to get a clear understanding of the situation and raises concerns in Japan.”
The US government is considering similar measures for travelers from China due to the lack of transparent data on the current outbreak, a US official said.
Will lift quarantine rule for passengers arriving from China from Jan 8 amid rising Covid cases.
However, the easing fueled a dire need to catch up. On Tuesday, a day after the changes were announced, flight bookings from mainland China to popular destinations including Singapore, Japan and South Korea tripled on Trip.com Group, a Chinese travel booking company. According to the company, flight bookings to the mainland have increased fivefold.
Several airlines have started to resume and increase flights to the continent. Singapore Airlines said it would resume its Singapore-Beijing route from Friday for the first time since 2020, with more to come in the coming months.
In Pakistan, Uzair Zaheer, a travel agency owner in Islamabad, said he believes many Pakistanis will fly to China in January once restrictions are lifted, regardless of the Covid situation.
“You don’t need to worry,” he said, “because everyone has had Covid at some point.” He said he was inundated with calls and messages after Beijing’s announcement, mostly from students and business people in China.
The move is a relief for foreign companies doing business in China. Many complain that China’s restrictions make it difficult for companies to send employees and executives to their factories and offices in China.
Rachel Speth, owner of a company selling bamboo kitchenware with offices in Shanghai and the United States, said that on their recent trip to China in September, she and her partner had to spend five weeks in quarantine after their partner tested positive for Covid. once.
This new policy is a dream come true, said Ms. Speth, who is in Shanghai. “Now we are free to come and go. This is a new day for work schedules and workflow.”
The easing provides businesses with clarity that will help them plan for the future, said Eric Zheng, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, who welcomed Beijing’s move. “It’s been three years – too long since business has stepped away from China.”
Mr. Zheng predicts that by the end of January, when the week-long lunar holiday ends, the company will reassess the environment and then make a decision. But he added caution about the outbreak: “You wouldn’t be in a rush given this spike in cases.”
For some in the business community, opening up travel is a reassuring signal from the ruling Communist Party of its priorities. During his decade in power, Xi Jinping, the country’s staunch leader, has sought to consolidate the party’s grip on the economy by prioritizing security and political discipline over growth. But at the annual meeting of Chinese leaders two weeks ago, Xi urged officials to “restore market confidence firmly” through strong growth and jobs.
The new policies are the latest sign that China is finally returning to a more pragmatic and business-friendly mentality, said Bruce Pang, chief economist for Greater China at Jones Lang LaSalle, a global commercial real estate firm.
“This travel facility, together with the lifting of mass testing and domestic efforts to increase consumption, will help China achieve an economic growth rate of more than 5 percent by 2023,” Pang said.
Many nostalgic Chinese look forward to visiting during Chinese New Year, traditionally the world’s largest annual migration, when hundreds of millions of Chinese travel for family reunions.
Zhang Yuhan, a 26-year-old employee of an investment company in Japan, said that after waking up to the news of the reopening, he immediately started looking for tickets while brushing his teeth and putting on makeup, to try to get tickets earlier. they sell.
He said he bought a one-way ticket to Jilin Province for a vacation to see his grandmother, who was recovering from surgery. It will be his first return trip in three years.
“I am very happy, I really want to go back to China to see my friends at home and eat delicious food,” Zhang said.
The lifting of quarantine rules has not removed all barriers to travel to China. The government has not said whether it will start issuing tourist visas again. Also, many people cannot afford plane tickets.
Guen Zhao, 28, Ph.D. A student in Japan said he regretted not being able to be with his family when his grandmother passed away last year. He hopes to visit next year but will have to wait for airfare prices to drop. A round-trip ticket used to cost about $400, he says, but now costs about $2,800 — seven times that.
Other travelers are optimistic that China’s epidemic will subside in the coming months and hope to revive old friendships.
Before Covid, Chen Hsuan, a sales director at a Taipei tech company, traveled a lot in China, exploring the hills of Xinjiang in the far west of the country and relaxing on Hainan’s beaches. Along the way, he met many friends, most of whom he had not seen since China’s borders were closed.
“The elevator came quicker than I expected,” he said. He added that he hoped to visit China in April. “It’s good to see that China, which has always been conservative, is ready to follow the trend of the international community.”