China’s Covid-19 isolation takes toll on foreign bodies – with risks for its own tech health
- Prioritising public health has helped contain outbreaks, but strict border controls make life difficult for foreign companies and staff
- Reputational damage and talent drain could harm China’s technology and innovation ambitions
This is the third and final part of a series on challenges China faces in its battle against Covid-19. Here, Zhuang Pinghui looks at the impact of its strict pandemic controls on foreign businesses and employees, and by extension its own economy.
After three years in Beijing, David Saey, a marketing manager, this week flew home to Belgium and said he would “avoid China” for at least five years.
“It’s very intense – I can’t stand being indoors for 48 hours, let alone for three weeks in a small hotel room,” Saey said.
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Many of his friends have left Beijing during the pandemic and decided against returning, for various reasons. “The feelings for the city are not the same as before Covid-19,” he said.
All along, China has followed a strategy of strict measures to eliminate the coronavirus entirely within its borders, with one key aspect being prevention of outbreaks linked to returning overseas travellers.