China reminds travellers, airlines about Covid testing rules for arrivals

Chinese embassies in Washington, Seoul and Tokyo alert passengers about PCR test requirements, saying customs will do spot checks
While the entry guidelines are not new, the announcement comes as Beijing clashes with the US, Japan and South Korea over curbs on tourists

Coronavirus China

Lo Hoi-ying

Published: 1:37pm, 16 Jan 2023

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Chinese authorities have reminded foreign travellers to conduct Covid-19 tests before boarding flights to China.

The Chinese embassies in Washington, Seoul and Tokyo announced on Sunday that airlines operating flights to the mainland were responsible for checking passengers’ polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test results, and only those with negative results would be allowed to board their flights.

“To ensure the safety of international travel, starting January 17, airlines operating flights to the mainland shall be in charge of checking for passengers’ negative PCR test results taken 48 hours before departure … China Customs will conduct spot checks on travellers during arrival,” the embassies said.

Those who display Covid-19 symptoms upon arrival must undergo testing by customs, and those who test positive will have to self-quarantine.

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Since January 8, China-bound travellers no longer need to quarantine upon arrival but they must still take PCR tests 48 hours before their flights and submit online health declarations to China’s customs authority.

China has required travellers to provide health declarations and negative PCR test results since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020.

The Chinese foreign ministry said last week that the Covid-19 test requirement was necessary to avoid cross-border transmission.

“The infectiousness of the Omicron strain is on the rise, especially during long-distance, cross-border travel where passengers spend long periods of time in confined spaces, where the risk of infection is high,” Wu Xi, the ministry’s director general of consular affairs, said on Thursday.

“Therefore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs requires personnel coming to China to undergo a nucleic acid test 48 hours before boarding the plane to prevent the spread of the virus and ensure the safety of passengers.”

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Covid-19 testing requirements have sparked diplomatic disputes between China and a handful of other nations.

South Korea, Japan and the United States placed travel restrictions on Chinese travellers earlier this month after a surge in Covid-19 infections in China.

Seoul started requiring travellers from China to provide negative PCR test results before and after entering South Korea and also suspended the issuance of short-term visas to Chinese visitors, including tourist visas.

Washington announced that from January 5 it would require travellers from China to test negative for Covid-19 before entering the US. All air passengers departing from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau must produce a negative result from a test taken no more than two days before departure. The US also warned its citizens to reconsider travel to China.

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While Tokyo did not suspend visa issuance to travellers, it requires visitors from China to provide negative Covid-19 test results before boarding flights to Japan. Flights from China may only land at Narita and Haneda airports in Tokyo, Kansai International Airport in Osaka and Chubu airport in Nagoya.

Last Tuesday, the Chinese embassies in Seoul and Tokyo announced they would suspend issuing short-term visas for business, tourism, medical treatment and general private affairs to South Korean and Japanese nationals after the two countries imposed travel restrictions on Chinese travellers.

Beijing also stopped issuing visa-free transit and border city visas to South Korean and Japanese citizens on Wednesday.