Chinese officials criticized foreign nations that announced “unacceptable” COVID-19 travel restrictions and vowed to take “countermeasures” in response.
“Some countries have taken entry restrictions targeting Chinese travelers only,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning told reporters. “This lacks scientific basis and some practices are unacceptable.”
“We strongly reject the use of COVID measures for political purposes and will take corresponding measures in response to various situations based on the principle of reciprocity,” it added.
Beijing also called the rules “discriminatory” even though they apply to all travelers from China, regardless of vaccination status or country of origin. Mao explained that the variant spreading through China “has been found elsewhere before,” but that hasn’t stopped other countries from introducing restrictions.
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Several countries introduced travel requirements or restrictions in response to the rapidly increasing number of COVID-19 cases in China after Beijing reversed its “zero-COVID” policies in response to nationwide protests.
Some countries, including the US and Britain, have reintroduced mandatory pre-flight tests for anyone leaving China. Other nations, including Japan and Italy, will only require testing on arrival and quarantine for any COVID-positive traveler, TIME reported.
China’s new Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning speaks at a press conference in Beijing, China on September 5, 2022.
(Reuters/Yew Lun Tian)
Morocco is the only country to go to extremes and outright ban entry to all travelers arriving from China, a measure that takes effect on Tuesday.
The US argued that the restrictions were necessary as China has failed to provide full transparency, leaving the rest of the world unclear about the true extent of COVID-19 infections in the country.
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The new order from the Centers for Disease Control affects any traveler from China, either directly or indirectly, as well as from Hong Kong and Macao, and requires them to obtain a negative COVID-19 test result no more two days before traveling to the US
The policy will go into effect on January 5 to give airlines time to implement the policy and will affect all travelers two years and older.
Masked travelers with luggage line up at the check-in counter for international flights at the Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, Thursday, Dec. 29, 2022. The US, Japanese and other moves to require COVID-19 tests for passengers arriving from China reflect global concern that new variants could emerge in its ongoing explosive outbreak, and the government may not inform the rest of the world quickly enough.
(AP Photo/Andy Wong)
French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said on Tuesday that the country is seeking tests for travelers and that it will “continue to do so” for the foreseeable future, according to German outlet DW.
Information about the current COVID-19 situation in China remains scattered after Beijing decided to stop reporting asymptomatic cases. Official reports indicate an average increase of 3,842 cases per day last week, representing a 36% increase from the average of two weeks ago, according to The New York Times.
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However, the Times also reported that some estimates, including one that circulated on Chinese social media, cited estimates by national health officials that the virus had spread to 250 million people during the first 20 days of December.
Countries have complained about China’s lack of cooperation and unwillingness to release all COVID-related data, particularly after the government also announced it would change its qualifications for counting virus-related deaths.
People receive medical care in a Fever Clinic area at a hospital in Shanghai’s Changning district, on December 23, 2022. China is battling a wave of coronavirus infections that has hit the elderly hard but resulted in only a handful of deaths reported after the government redefined the criteria by which deaths from COVID-19 are counted.
(Photo by Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)
Mao told reporters that China wants to “intensify communication with the rest of the international community and work together to prevail over COVID.”
“Based on the latest changes in the COVID situation and the circumstances facing our response, China’s competent authorities have shared information in a timely, open and transparent manner in accordance with the law,” Mao said. “We are sharing virus genome data from the latest COVID cases in China through the Global Avian Influenza Data Sharing Initiative.”
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“China always believes that for all countries, COVID response measures should be science-based and proportionate,” he added. “They must not be used for political manipulation, there must be no discriminatory measures against certain countries, and the measures must not affect normal travel and exchange and cooperation between people.”
