Those arriving in China will face a strenuous quarantine of up to 3 weeks (Representational)
Beijing:
China is prepared to ease border restrictions to allow some foreigners, including those from the US, India and Pakistan, to return, provided they have taken a Chinese-made Covid-19 vaccine.
The country has been closed to most foreigners since last March to stem the spread of the coronavirus, which it has largely controlled at home, stranding many foreigners with work and family within China abroad.
But Chinese embassies in various countries have issued notices saying that the country will open visa applications to select people who have received a hit made in China.
The Chinese Embassy in the United States said in a statement dated Monday that it would begin processing “visa applicants inoculated with Chinese Covid-19 vaccines.”
This would apply from this week to those visiting mainland China to resume work, business trips or for “humanitarian needs” such as reuniting with family members.
Beijing is pushing forward its inoculation plan for its vast national population with four domestically produced vaccines approved so far. But he has yet to approve any blows made abroad.
China has also shipped its vaccines abroad as it works to mitigate foreign criticism about the initial spread of the virus from its shores.
The embassy statement said this applied to those who had received two doses of the vaccine or a single dose at least 14 days before applying for the visa.
Chinese embassies in other countries, including India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Italy and Sri Lanka, have released similar statements.
Those arriving in China will still have to face a grueling quarantine of up to three weeks.
China’s vaccines have been rolled out in several countries around the world, including Turkey, Indonesia, and Cambodia.
The Philippines received 600,000 doses of vaccines from China two weeks ago, kickstarting its inoculation campaign.
But they are not available everywhere, even in India or Sri Lanka.
And Beijing has struggled to win international trust for its vaccine candidates, hampered by a lack of transparency in test results.
But Chinese companies are still prepared to export about 400 million doses of homegrown vaccines abroad, state media reported.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
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