China visa bans over Covid rules spark concern from top European business chambers
- China has warned of more reciprocal measures over Covid-19 entry curbs after suspending short-term visas for visitors from Japan and South Korea
- Move risks ‘preventing China from showcasing fully all it has to offer’ after three pandemic years, European Chamber of Commerce says
“Not only does this [visa suspension] risk leading to heightened geopolitical tensions and an erosion of business confidence, it also risks preventing China from showcasing fully all it has to offer, something which has not been possible over the past three years due to the country’s stringent travel restrictions,” the chamber said in a statement.
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Chamber president Joerg Wuttke questioned the move in a separate statement. “While China wants to actually reconnect and rejuvenate business contact, the first thing they do is to shut down again for certain countries,” Wuttke said in a call with the Post.
China lifted most of its domestic “zero-Covid” control measures last month before fully reopening its borders to international arrivals on January 8, scrapping stringent inbound quarantine requirements that had been in place since the pandemic first hit in 2020.
Foreign business chambers in China had long called for the borders to be reopened, citing disruptions to operations because of Covid-19 restrictions.
But China’s pivot away from zero-Covid – described by some public health experts as abrupt and lacking proper planning – was followed by a rapid surge in infections and over a dozen countries imposed some entry restrictions on travellers from there.