European nations tell China ‘self-isolation’ is stoking ‘mistrust’ in plea for easing of Covid-19 curbs
- European ambassadors from Switzerland, France, Norway, Italy and Croatia have appealed to Beijing to relax rules that prevent face-to-face meetings
- China’s lockdowns and on-off economy are causing company losses and creating misunderstandings in the business community and diplomatically
A group of European ambassadors to China has alerted Beijing to the “consequences” of maintaining its zero-Covid policy, calling on authorities to ease rules that prevent face-to-face meetings to avoid misunderstandings.
China was drifting apart from the rest of the world due to its hardline restrictions on international travel, said Swiss ambassador Bernardino Regazzoni.
The number of Swiss students in China was practically zero at the moment, he told an offline round table forum held by the Centre for China and Globalisation think tank in Beijing on Monday.
I hope our Chinese partners understand that self-isolation will end up harming China in the first place and the rest of the world
“After three years of zoom meetings, we are aware of the urgency to move back to meeting in person,” he said. “One cannot pursue globalisation and total control at the same time. It is either-or. I hope our Chinese partners understand that self-isolation will end up harming China in the first place and the rest of the world.”