China to resume issuing visas to foreigners after 3 years
What's the story
Gradually doing away with its COVID-19 restrictions, China is set to resume issuing visas to foreigners from Wednesday, according to a statement by the Chinese embassy in the United States (US).
It will also resume visa-free entry for foreigners in groups into Hainan and Guangdong provinces from Hong Kong and Macao, and for passengers on board cruise ships stopping in Shanghai.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The relaxing of norms comes on the heels of the appointment of China's new premier Li Qiang—who oversaw Shanghai's strict two-month COVID-19 lockdown last year—and is reportedly a close aide of President Xi Jinping.
After pushing to scrap the lockdown in December sooner than planned following mass protests and economic downfall, he recently called for meeting an economic expansion of 5% in 2023.
Countries
COVID-19 testing loosened for travelers from New Zealand, Russia, Malaysia
The country's COVID-19 test requirements were relaxed for travelers from New Zealand, Russia, and Malaysia earlier this month. Similarly, it scrapped the mandatory quarantine policy for inbound travelers in January of this year.
However, travelers from some countries, including the US, still need a negative RT-PCR test before boarding the flight. Notably, Hong Kong withdrew the mask mandate for public places last month.
Travel
2022 saw less than one-fifth of trips than 2019
Reportedly, the country saw only 115.7 million inbound and outbound trips in 2022. This was mainly due to China's zero-COVID-19 policy, which included closing its borders, mass testing, and frequent lockdowns.
According to data from China's Ministry of Public Security, this included 64.6 million trips by mainland residents. This was less than one-fifth of the pre-pandemic levels recorded in 2019.
Details
Several countries imposed restrictions on flyers from China in December
In December last year, coronavirus cases surged in Brazil, Japan, South Korea, and the US. Following the outbreak, other countries also imposed restrictions on flyers arriving from China, alleging that the latter was not being transparent about its COVID-19 cases.
In retaliation, China suspended the issuance of short-term visas in South Korea and Japan in January, while enforcing testing requirements.