IT IS BECOMING clear that China will not, or perhaps cannot, re-open its borders soon. 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 This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline "Turning inward", Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents, Under Xi Jinping, he has had little chance to shine, But Chinas leaders are treading carefully for now, The countrys government is organised in a way that could help, Published since September 1843 to take part in a severe contest between intelligence, which presses forward, and an unworthy, timid ignorance obstructing our progress.. hide caption. Hong Kong closed its borders to non-residents in early 2020 at the start of the pandemic. The economic costs of Chinas COVID-19 policies continue to mount with each new outbreak. Chinese leaders have declared that zero tolerance of covid-19. All Rights Reserved. Almost two years into the Covid-19 pandemic, some of the worlds major business hubs including New York, London and Paris are reopening as travel restrictions relax and daily life resumes. The pandemic has sped up those trendsas it has inspired at times nasty anti-Chinese racism abroad. When will China open its borders? Subscribe to Fortune Dailyto get essential business stories straight to your inbox each morning. Its many dynasties have left their marks in world-famous heritage sites, such as the Great Wall, the Terracotta Warriors of Xian, and ancient towns such as Lijiang. Did you encounter any technical issues? The lowest estimate was 6.6 billion USD per year, with a disclaimer that it could well be double that figure. As this border stretches more than 2000 kilometers, this The Asian giant was the first nation to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, because of which China . The semi-autonomous Chinese territory recently reopened to foreign visitors, although it still has some of the harshest quarantine rules in the world. The answers to these questions depends what country you are talking about. All rights reserved. GDP in the first quarter of this year grew 18.3%; in the EU, it fell 0.6%. China may be only monthsif not weeksaway from Zhongs target. 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. If Hong Kong reopens to international travel, it almost certainly will see a spike in infections and lose all chance of reopening with China. Chinese officials grumble that America and the European Union have yet to approve a vaccine from China. The Covid-19 pandemic started in Chinas Hubei province, but early and strict lockdowns originally helped keep the virus under control. Listen to this article:37. . 2023 Fortune Media IP Limited. Copyright The Economist Newspaper Limited 2023. Only 36% of people over the age of 60 have gotten one dose, according to government data, which means that a Delta outbreak could prove deadly in Hong Kong. This opacity is a problem. 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. That may take a while.. Indonesia and Thailand are among those now planning booster jabs with Western vaccines, at least for medical workers. Today (Saturday, 5 June 2021) the borders of China are fully open for 0/ 32 countries, partially open for 51/ 32 countries. The Hong Kong government needs to get more people vaccinated, and then also be looking at booster shots before they can really start to relax their guard, he says. Its just numbers, he said. 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. All rights reserved. All our stories relating to the pandemic and the vaccines can be found on our coronavirus hub. Propaganda outlets stress that new cases involve arrivals from abroad. News Corp is a global, diversified media and information services company focused on creating and distributing authoritative and engaging content and other products and services. China has achieved this success due to the effectiveness of its test, trace and isolate measures. FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. The number of international flights has been kept to a handful a week, and as Chinese epidemiologists have acquired more experience of the improbable ways in which Covid is occasionally transmitted, quarantine has become stricter and longer. 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. 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. But there's one condition: they need to have received a China-made Covid-19 vaccine. Updated On June 28, China announced that it would loosen, but not drop, its requirements for incoming travelers. This is the first in a series about China's plans to reopen its borders amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Finally, the west is doing its own reopening. Below is information on what to know if you still plan to travel, last updated on September 21. See how we collect data and find out why not all countries are included in the statistics. 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. 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. 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. Theyre willing to give up leisure travel for public health., But pandemic fatigue has long set in, and theres no telling when the governments bet on China will pay off. The government plans to achieve two negative tests from each person in the entire population of about 240,000 from the local Yantian region, before declaring the crisis over. Chinese companies are developing new vaccines based on mRNA technology, but no evidence has yet been released about their efficacy. Hong Kongs decision to follow suit means the diverse metropolis, once known for attracting international business and globetrotting expats, is instead retreating further into isolation. For which countries are the borders with China open? It will be hard to convince people that living with the virus is not as scary as the party has claimed. Facial recognition cameras, already common in public places, have also proliferated in residential areas. All rights reserved. His case suggests that China has no desire to reopen its borders anytime soon, says Thomas. How Will China Open Its Border for International Students in 2022: 5 Possible Ways Date: January 7, 2022 Summary: China has closed its border for international students and almost all foreigners since March 28, 2020 due to the pandemic. 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. Chinas COVID-zero playbook for battling the virus has proved successful against the Delta variant of COVID-19. Still, Zhong said China will not automatically reopen its borders upon reaching the 80%85% vaccination threshold, since case rates in other countries will also weigh on its plans. Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. 2. It is not clear how many people were trapped on the subway and rescue efforts remain ongoing across Zhengzhou, a city of 12.6 million on the banks of the Yellow River. A Warner Bros. Anecdote by anecdote, evidence is mounting that foreigners, whether suspected of bearing dangerous germs or ideas, are becoming less welcome. Most people in China would happily stay in this parallel universe for another five years. Perhaps China wants to protect domestic drugmakers from competition, suggest foreign diplomats. "China used to be a place that was exciting and wild. Chang Shu +Follow. Many developing countries have relied heavily on Chinese shots. But no foreign vaccines have been approved and its home-grown ones, including Sinopharm and Sinovac, are not very effective against Delta. 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. appreciated. China has reported 2.7 million cases and 15,133 deaths as of September 21, 2022. Zhong did not say how quickly China may reopen once reaching the 80%85% vaccination coverage, but he estimated that at Chinas current pace, over 80% of the population would be fully vaccinated by the end of this year. Xi's China is closing to the world. China now issues a few visas for temporary business and family visits. This spring several embassies debated whether China should become a hardship posting reserved for diplomats without dependents. 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 . Share Your Design Ideas, New JerseysMurphy Defends $10 Billion Rainy Day Fund as States Economy Slows, This Week in Crypto: Ukraine War, Marathon Digital, FTX. All Rights Reserved. Chinas Covid suppression has been maintained by nearly closed borders since March 2020. Many people in China like being covid-free. Last month, online magazine ChinaFile said among 121 China-connected scholars, journalists, former diplomats and civil society workers it surveyed, only 44% said they planned to travel to China once coronavirus restrictions are lifted; 40% said they probably or definitely would not visit, while the rest were unsure. Their priorities are different from those who are locally based., The broader general public is so used to zero cases, theyre happy, he added. Zhongs comments are the first indication that China is tying its reopening plans to a vaccination goal. In August, analysts at Goldman Sachs, Nomura, and other banks downgraded Chinas GDP forecasts because of Delta-driven waves in places such as Guangzhou and elsewhere. But in order to err on the side of caution, and to prevent the spread of the disease, we have to [impose restrictions]Everything we are doing is to protect Hong Kong from another major outbreak.. 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 . The vaccination campaign initially targeted key workers and those with a high chance of being exposed to or transmitting the virus. We have made it very clear that our focus will be opening the border with the mainland. Equally, China may want to buy time for a locally made mRNA vaccine that is known to be in development. 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. Disney fans will also be pleased to hear that Shanghai Disney Resort is open as normal, albeit with some health precautions. 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 . Evergrande is one of Chinas most heavily indebted developers, with borrowings amounting to more than $100 billion by the end of 2020, according to its financial reports. Visits by political leaders from abroad have largely ceased. Here, Zhuang Pinghui and Simone McCarthy look into what it . Land travel from Mexico and Canada will require proof of vaccination but no test. The index case was a port worker, who as a member of a high-risk group was tested every five days. On June 3, many neighborhoods in Shanghai reopened after a nearly two-month lockdown, only to shut some of them back down again just one day later when some positive cases were detected. 0. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of international students enrolled in Chinese universities have been barred from returning to the country, with many voicing frustrations on Twitter and tagging Chinese diplomats for help to no avail. Even so, these vaccines still prevent severe cases of covid-19 which, in theory, reduces pressure on the health-care system. our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. Chinas COVID-zero measures, which prioritize snuffing out even one COVID-19 case no matter the cost, have remained largely the same since the country successfully contained the worlds first outbreak of infections in Wuhan in the spring of 2020. The city is now effectively stuck in limbo, backed into a corner by its own policies with no easy path out. Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam at the Legislative Council on October 6. Those with a head for heights should make an appointment with the horizontal skyscraper. Any change to this message would take time and would also be embarrassing. Visitors will be greeted by expanded digital surveillance, which played a central role in Chinas successful containment of the virus. Mutual distrust will be hard to overcome until China re-opens. China May Have More to Lose If Borders Open to Tourists. 3:31 AM EDT, Fri October 8, 2021. The Communist Party has made the goal of eliminating covid-19 infections a top priority. 2:39 AM EDT, Wed July 21, 2021. Today (Saturday, 5 June 2021) the borders of China are fully open for 0/ 32 countries, partially open for 51/ 32 countries. Lots of Chinese are cross about a lack of overseas praise for their countrys strict approach. S&P Index data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. Once he tested positive, his colleagues, close contacts and neighbours, and their contacts, numbering tens of thousands in all, were tested and quarantined where necessary. A good example of epidemiological rigour is provided by the current outbreak in Shenzhen. These travelers will be permitted to visit specific sites as part of group tours, not on individual itineraries. A single case can lead to city-wide testing and lockdown. 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. Now, the global financial hub is once again sealing its borders. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. All Rights Reserved. Hong Kong doesnt have any real power to decide upon, he added. Those failing the checks will be sent to government facilities. The U.S. lifted restrictions Monday on travel from a long list of countries including Mexico, Canada and most of Europe, allowing tourists to make long-delayed trips and family members to reconnect with loved ones after more than a year and a half apart because of the pandemic. 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. People feel that they made hard sacrifices in 2020 in order to defeat Covid, and see no reason to be exposed to risks again. Many Chinese are proud rightfully of Chinas ability to swiftly tame the outbreak, despite its initial mishandling. Subscribe to Eastworld for insight on whats dominating business in Asia, delivered free to your inbox. Rick Bowmer/AP In June, Hong Kong began loosening pandemic travel restrictions that, over the past 18 months, have transformed it from Asias World City to one of the most closed-off places on the planet. When borders reopen to tourists, countries that ran large surpluses on their tourism accounts pre-Covid -- Thailand and New Zealand among others -- stand to gain the most, writes Asia Chief economist Chang Shu. Chinese history has seen many cycles of opening and turning inward. For the newly qualified entrants . Arguably, opening to China will bring in far more economic value, said Bernard Chan, convenor of the government advisory Executive Council. Outside the window, dark floodwater rips past, surging down the subway tracks. China may reopen Hong Kong border in early December Number of visitors would initially be limited to a few hundred per day, Hong Kong newspaper reports. All rights reserved. Did you encounter any technical issues? Editors Note: A version of this story appeared in CNNs Meanwhile in China newsletter, a three-times-a-week update exploring what you need to know about the countrys rise and how it impacts the world. On Aug. 12, a fully vaccinated, 38-year-old female tested positive for the Delta variant of COVID-19 on her 12th day back in Hong Kong after a trip to the U.S. and a seven-day stay in a Hong Kong quarantine hotel. Hong Kongs vaccination campaign has improved in recent months after a sluggish start, but 50% of Hong Kong residents remain completely unvaccinated. These travelers are still required to take two PCR tests 24-48 hours before going to China (depending on their departure airport) and a pre-flight antigen test. Theres no plan of a specific date or anything at all.. Shanghai's neon skyline is one of China's modern wonders. appreciated. There are a few reasons why Hong Kong has made this decision, said Nicholas Thomas, an associate professor at the Department of Asian and International Studies at the City University of Hong Kong. The Spaniard had apparently tested positive for antibodies, either as a result of having been vaccinated or after recovering from a bout of covid-19. Hong Kong may prove to be a bellwether. For many, the continued detention of the two Canadian Michaels will likely serve as a chilling reminder of the risks associated with visiting China, even after it reopens its borders to the world. China is in the opposite camp, along with South Korea and the Philippines. On Tuesday, Lam pointed to economic expansion in the first quarter to argue the city had not suffered badly from the tight restrictions. River Robinson's American partner wasn't able to be in Canada for the birth of their baby boy 17 months ago because of pandemic-related border closures. China is the last large country in the world with a zero-covid policy. Beyond that, specific details have not yet been spelled out. Jul 17th 2021 I T IS BECOMING clear that China will not, or perhaps cannot, re-open its borders soon. But long before the warning, some Americans and other Westerners with long-lasting professional ties with China had already grown wary of visiting both mainland China and Hong Kong. On the boundary with Canada, cross-border hockey rivalries were community traditions until being upended by the pandemic. 4:25 AM EDT, Wed September 21, 2022. The outside world stands for chaos. for insight on whats dominating business in Asia, delivered free to your inbox. Staying home is the best way to stem transmission.
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