BEIJING, Jan 9 (Reuters) – People lined up outside the immigration office in Beijing on Monday to renew their passports after the Chinese government rolled back border controls over the novel coronavirus.
Sunday’s reopening is one of the latest steps in the dismantling of China’s ‘zero COVID’ regime that began last month after historic curb protests that kept the virus at bay but sparked widespread discontent among the public.
China’s currency and stock markets rallied on Monday, with investors betting the reopening would help revitalize a $17 trillion economy that has struggled with the slowest growth in nearly half a century.
Beijing’s move to lift quarantine requirements for visitors is expected to boost international travel, as residents will not be subject to these restrictions upon their return.
But flights are in short supply, and several countries are requiring visitors from China to test negative in an effort to contain the outbreak that has overwhelmed many of China’s hospitals and crematoriums. China also requires travelers to test negative for COVID before departure.
China’s top health officials and state media have repeatedly said the novel coronavirus infection has peaked across the country, downplaying the current threat posed by the disease.
Officially, China has reported 5,272 of her COVID-related deaths as of January 8, with one of the lowest infection-related death rates in the world.
But the World Health Organization has said China is underreporting the extent of the outbreak, and international virus experts say more than 1 million people in the country could die from the disease this year. I’m guessing. Despite the bleak outlook, Asian stocks rose to a five-month high on Monday and the Chinese yuan consolidated against the dollar to its strongest level since mid-August.
China’s blue chip index (.CSI300) was up 0.7%, the Shanghai Composite Index (.SSEC) was up 0.5% and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index (.HSI) was up 1.6%.
Beijing-based editor Michael Harrold, 61, told Reuters on Sunday: “I’m very relieved to be back to normal… just go back to China, get off the plane, take a taxi. Just grab it and go home,” he said. After arriving by plane from Warsaw, we arrived at Beijing Capital International Airport.
When Harold left for Europe for the Christmas holidays in early December, he said he would undergo a quarantine and multiple tests upon his return. State broadcaster CCTV reported on Sunday that direct flights from South Korea to China were almost sold out. The report quickly became the most read article on Chinese social media site Weibo.
In the short term, growth in tourist demand has been hampered by a limited number of flights to and from China, which are now a fraction of pre-coronavirus levels.
Korean Air said earlier this month that it was shelving plans to increase flights to China, citing Seoul’s caution against Chinese tourists. South Korea, like many other countries, now requires travelers from China, Macau and Hong Kong to show negative COVID test results before departure. Taiwan, which began testing arrivals from China on Jan. 1, said on Monday that nearly 20% of those tested so far have tested positive for COVID.
China’s domestic tourism receipts are expected to recover to 70-75% of pre-COVID levels in 2023, while the number of inbound and outbound trips this year is expected to recover to 30-40% of pre-COVID levels. expected. on sunday.
