There have been numerous outbreaks of Covid-19 since last spring, varying in size from single cases to hundreds, but all of them have been ended swiftly, with modest, generally localised disruption. All rights reserved. Sue-Lin Wong: Correspondent, The Economist , This article appeared in the China section of the print edition of The World Ahead 2022 under the headline Closed, indefinitely, A global round-up from The Economist Intelligence Unit, As 2023 begins, the worlds most important climate system remains locked in La Nia, Published since September 1843 to take part in a severe contest between intelligence, which presses forward, and an unworthy, timid ignorance obstructing our progress.. Chinas 350kmph driverless bullet train should be top of your list. On Monday, Hong Kong declared the U.S., France, and 14 other countries as high-risk for COVID-19, meaning that Hong Kong travelers from a total of 25 countries would now have to stay in 21-day mandatory hotel quarantines regardless of vaccination status. Measures imposed against outbreaks in places like the eastern Fujian province or southern Guangzhou city have contained the virus, even as Delta has stymied virus response systems in other countries with zero tolerance for infections, like Vietnam and Australia. Shares in Evergrande Group cratered a combined 25% on Monday and Tuesday in Hong Kong, wiping out some $5 billion in market value and sending the stock to its worst level in more than four years. The southern province of Guangdong, hit by a recent virus outbreak, is building a quarantine clinic for international arrivals with 5,000 beds. The deep freeze on international tourism due to Covid restrictions has been tough on most Asian economies, but for China, borders closed to tourists is a net positive, according to Bloomberg Economics research. Visitors are strongly urged to keep on top of local restrictions and rule changes as much as possible. The city is now effectively stuck in limbo, backed into a corner by its own policies with no easy path out. public health experts and local politicians. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Chinese companies are developing new vaccines based on mRNA technology, but no evidence has yet been released about their efficacy. For their part, foreigners who live in mainland China appreciate being in a country that has the virus under control: in spring 2020 hundreds of millions of Chinese spent weeks at home to break the chain of transmission, often without pay. This week, Zhang Wenhong, one of Chinas most prominent infectious disease experts, is battling a plagiarism allegation that could tar his professional reputation after he was criticized online and by state media outlets for suggesting that China should deviate from its COVID-zero approach and learn to live with the virus. 2:39 AM EDT, Wed July 21, 2021. For air travelers, the airlines are required to verify vaccine records and match them against ID, and if they don't, they could face fines of up to nearly $35,000 per violation. Last month, Bloomberg reported that regulators had instructed major creditors of Evergrande to conduct a fresh round of stress tests on their exposure to the firm, to assess the potential hit to their capital and liquidity should Evergrande run into trouble. The government rejected an offer for them to fly in by charter plane for a brief inspection visit in protective suits. The party may even choose to wait until after the annual parliamentary meeting in March 2023 to relax border controls, suggests Huang Yanzhong of the Council for Foreign Relations, an American think-tank. Did you encounter any technical issues? Mutual distrust will be hard to overcome until China re-opens. 27/12/2022. The case, in addition to a surge in Delta-driven waves of infections worldwide, prompted Hong Kong public health experts and local politicians over the weekend to call for Hong Kong to increase quarantine requirements for vaccinated travelers. could be sentient says Microsofts chatbot feels like watching the A cruise company is making a big play for remote workers to sail around the world for just $30,000 a year, CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information, Grocery prices continue to riseand theres. Non-Chinese vaccines might speed up the answer . Anyone visiting China is urged to be flexible as lockdowns can happen to apartment buildings, offices, or even entire neighborhoods with little notice. Land travel from Mexico and Canada will require proof of vaccination but no test. Yet the government has stood firm repeatedly emphasizing that its priority is reopening its border with mainland China, not with the rest of the world. Hong Kong has banned all noncitizens and nonresidents since the spring of 2020. Social media users perceived Zhangs comments as undermining Beijings COVID-zero policies, and Shanghais Fudan University investigatedbut later clearedZhang of plagiarism allegations amid the online backlash. As of Jan 8, 2023, travelers from the United States and Canada are no longer required to take mandatory quarantine after landing in Chinese mainland. appreciated. We have made it very clear that our focus will be opening the border with the mainland. Travelers from the United States with valid residence permits and visas are allowed to enter China. Evergrande said Monday that it would take legal action against the creditor for demanding the court freeze its assets. A single case can lead to city-wide testing and lockdown. China wants 80% of its population vaccinated by the end of 2021. Offers may be subject to change without notice. And it means clinging onto the zero-Covid strategy, which is looking increasingly untenable in a world where Covid has become basically endemic, Thomas said. 2023 Fortune Media IP Limited. Theres the economic argument as well. Health officials caution that travel increases your chances of getting and spreading the virus. Visitors will be greeted by expanded digital surveillance, which played a central role in Chinas successful containment of the virus. And if Hong Kong wants to reopen to the mainland, it may have to abide by a similar zero-tolerance approach to COVID-19. But in China, even people suffering from mild symptoms are hospitalised. The Covid-19 pandemic started in Chinas Hubei province, but early and strict lockdowns originally helped keep the virus under control. The key to this success has been the rapidity and rigour of the measures taken to curtail community transmission. Loved ones have missed holidays, birthdays and funerals while nonessential air travel was barred, and they are now eager to reconnect. The economic costs of Chinas COVID-19 policies continue to mount with each new outbreak. In June Spains consulate-general in Shanghai protested after a newly arrived Spanish citizen was made to sign documents that she could not read and undergo days of tests and MRI scans in a clinic. Updated: 12:08pm, 24 Jul, 2021. Chinese airlines have said they expect tight restrictions on international flights to extend for the first half of the year. The existing 14-day quarantine will be replaced by a seven plus three program consisting of one week of hotel quarantine plus three days of home observation. "China used to be a place that was exciting and wild. GDP in the first quarter of this year grew 18.3%; in the EU, it fell 0.6%. She was thrilled to hear the U.S. is reopening its land crossings to vaccinated travelers. This spring several embassies debated whether China should become a hardship posting reserved for diplomats without dependents. The plunge came after a Chinese court froze $20 million worth of bank deposits from Evergrande at the request of one of its creditors. On Sunday, a member of the Executive Council told local media the city might not be able to open its China border until February. That may take a while.. His case suggests that China has no desire to reopen its borders anytime soon, says Thomas. (Ambassadors may quarantine at home for 21 days, but only if their residence is a detached house and they are driven there with a police escort.). FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Their resentment is both sincere and stoked by propaganda that accuses American leaders of slandering China to cover up their cruel incompetence and 600,000 pandemic deaths. If youre in Beijing, you may want to visit this restaurant in a former temple. Unlike smaller economies that rely heavily on cross-border capital flows, outside talent or international tourism, Covid-19border restrictions have not stopped China from roaring back into growth. At least 12 people have been confirmed dead in Zhengzhou, the provincial capital, where more than 20 centimeters (7.8 inches) of rain fell in one hour on Tuesday, according to the meteorological observatory. The city of Guangzhou recently built a $260 million, 5,000-room central quarantine facility to house incoming travelers, stoking fears among experts that China may construct such facilities across the country to maintain border restrictions and long quarantines for years to come. and relaxing . Canada will finally open its borders, first to Americans, beginning August 9 By Paula Newton, CNN Updated 5:28 PM EDT, Mon July 19, 2021 . Chan . Authorities acted swiftly. Moreover, China is in a better position than most countries to stay closed: its exports have barely been affected, and foreign direct investment is higher than it was before the pandemic. Their priorities are different from those who are locally based., The broader general public is so used to zero cases, theyre happy, he added. As of May 20, travelers from the United States and Canada no longer have to take a PCR test seven days before flying to China. Students have postponed their studies, threatening the finances of universities across the globe; small international businesses have shut down; and the belt and road initiative, designed to broaden Chinas global impact, has been slowed. Updated Some provinces require additional quarantine upon arrival. Their concerns include rules obliging all international arrivals, including children, to quarantine in a hotel for three weeks, and to enter an isolation clinic if they test positive. China has reported 2.7 million cases and 15,133 deaths as of September 21, 2022. But Chinas continued reliance on COVID-zero protocols despite its high vaccination rate has raised questions about whether the measures will be a fixture of Chinese life for the long term. But with the borders yet to fully reopen, it remains to be seen how much of the surging ultra-nationalism online will affect everyday actions and encounters. Today (Saturday, 5 June 2021) the borders of China are fully open for 0/ 32 countries, partially open for 51/ 32 countries. [But] when the death rate becomes very low, having COVID-19 could be part of the norm.. You can also find trackers showing the global roll-out of vaccines, excess deaths by country and the viruss spread across Europe and America. International schools are braced for a fresh exodus this summer, it is said, including of teachers who have not seen families outside China for more than a year. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice| Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information| Ad Choices Some foreign ministers have been admitted to China to meet their counterpart, Wang Yi, but only in provincial cities. In order to open its borders, China will first have to vaccinate its population. People queue to receive the Covid-19 vaccine in Guangzhou in Guangdong province, China. In the article, many respondents cited the ongoing detainment of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor as a primary source of their anxiety. Did you encounter any technical issues? A Warner Bros. Beijing is planning to keep its pandemic border restrictions in place for at least another year as officials fret over the emergence of new variants and a calendar of sensitive events,. This means that all Hong Kong residentsexcept for those coming from mainland China, Macau, Taiwan, or New Zealandwill have to spend at least 14 days in quarantine upon arrival regardless of vaccination status. Though about 63% of the population has been fully vaccinated, many received the Chinese Sinovac vaccine, which has had its efficacy against the highly infectious Delta variant questioned. These travelers will be permitted to visit specific sites as part of group tours, not on individual itineraries. On a recent domestic flight, Chaguans neighbour pointedly asked to move seats. China's borders will likely remain shut for months, but some may be wary of visiting even after they reopen By Nectar Gan and Jessie Yeung, CNN Updated 2:39 AM EDT, Wed July 21, 2021 Link. Nicholas Thomas, a professor of health governance at the City University of Hong Kong, says that such strict measures may be necessary to protect Hong Kong citizens from a new outbreak, especially owing to the fact that much of the city remains vulnerable to infection. IT IS BECOMING clear that China will not, or perhaps cannot, re-open its borders soon. More than a year and a half after COVID-19 concerns prompted the U.S. to close its borders to international travelers from countries including Brazil, China, India, South Africa, the U.K. and much of Europe, restrictions are shifting to focus on vaccine status. Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam at the Legislative Council on October 6. You can travel to China without applying a new visa if you qualify for visa-free transit policy. All rights reserved. Indonesia and Thailand are among those now planning booster jabs with Western vaccines, at least for medical workers. To avoid that, China should prepare for a fundamental shift away from its "zero Covid" mindset once it achieves its 80 per cent vaccination target and reaches herd immunity by the end of the year . Among those who replied they would probably or definitely not visit, reasons ranged from previous visa rejections to outright fear of detention for themselves and for the Chinese people they work with or interview, and concerns that restrictions on movement, research, or reporting would compromise the professional value of spending time in China, said ChinaFile, which is published by the Asia Societys Center on US-China Relations. Those failing the checks will be sent to government facilities. Most foreigners have been kept out, and anyone who is able to get into the country must spend at least 14 days in strict hotel quarantine. The answers to these questions depends what country you are talking about. Vaccine politics bring further complications. Your browser does not support the