CHINA. The Foreign Ministry has defended China’s recent scrapping of COVID-related travel restrictions and slammed certain western media and government reaction to the policy change.
“This shift is scientific, timely and necessary,” said Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China spokesperson Wang Wenbin at a press briefing yesterday.
“The aim is to protect the lives and health of the people and reduce the impact of the epidemic on economic and social development to the maximum extent possible.
“We are confident that while effectively safeguarding people’s health and preventing severe cases, we will get economic and social activities back to normal more quickly and secure a full and final victory against COVID,” Wang continued.
Travel a boon for global economy
“In accordance with the decision to manage COVID-19 with measures against Class-B infectious diseases, relevant departments formulated and released the provisional measures on cross-border travel,” said Wang of the decision to open the door to outbound travel.
“This will better facilitate the safe and orderly cross-border travel of Chinese and foreign nationals and international exchange and co-operation, and prove to be a boon for the global economy.”
The Civil Aviation Administration of China announced yesterday that it will lift COVID-19 travel restrictions from 8 January, vowing to restore international passenger traffic which has been heavily impacted by the pandemic over the past three years.
With Omicron much less pathogenic and deadly and China’s treatment, testing and vaccination capacity steadily on the rise, China had taken the initiative to refine its COVID response measures, Wang said.
“Countries adjusting the COVID policy would invariably go through a period of adaptation. China is no exception as we shift gear in our COVID policy. China’s COVID situation on the whole remains predictable and under control. Beijing is the first city to have gone through the infection peak, where life and work are coming back to normal as we speak.
“Relevant Chinese departments have made scientific assessments of the potential peaks in other provinces and cities. They have made necessary preparations and are confident that this process of policy adjustment and shifting of focus will go ahead in a steady and orderly way.”
Commenting on the fact that several countries including the US, Japan and India have strengthened COVID-19 measures against travellers from China, Wang said, “A small number of western media have deliberately hyped up and even misrepresented China’s COVID policy adjustment, and yet avoided reporting on the deficiencies and heavy price paid in their own countries’ COVID response. This is nothing but double standards and is clearly against journalistic ethics.” 
