China’s zero-Covid policies leave students and workers abroad feeling cut off

The difficulty and expense of arranging flights and quarantine mean many overseas Chinese have been unable to see their families for more than two years

Some of those affected feel a sense of hopelessness, while others are losing faith in the government’s response to the crisis

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Flight options are limited, pushing up the price considerably. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 8:36pm, 29 Apr 2022Updated: 9:27pm, 29 Apr 2022

Beijing’s zero-Covid strategy has had dire consequences for the millions Chinese living abroad, most of whom have been unable to see family and friends at home for two years even as the rest of the world eases travel restrictions.

Some cannot afford the sky-high cost of flights and others fear getting stuck in harsh lockdown on arrival. All of them are anxious about the well-being of loved ones back in China.

Ba Lina, a marketing executive based in London, is ridden with guilt over not being able to see her ageing parents.

“I feel helpless and angry, I haven’t been able to see my family for years,” she said.

Reuters spoke with a dozen Chinese nationals in New York, London, Sydney and Singapore about their frustration at being separated from their families in China.

For starters, prices of international flights to China have soared. A one-way ticket within the next six months from Singapore to Guangzhou costs about 80,000 yuan ($12,000) due to limited flights with only business-class seats available. Pre-pandemic, the same trip on economy class cost under US$370.

Li Wenqi booked a flight from London to China in early 2021 after he graduated from a British university with a master's degree in finance. But he said the flight was suspended multiple times and he was asked to top up the fare by an “exorbitant” amount before he could fly.

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