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BEIJING: China is prepared to ease border restrictions to allow some foreigners, including those from the US, India and Australia, to return, provided they have taken a COVID-19 vaccine made in China.
The country has been closed to most foreigners since last March to stem the spread of the coronavirus, which it has largely controlled, stranding many foreigners with jobs and family members 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 coup done in China.
The Chinese Embassy to 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.
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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 such as Australia, 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.
READ: China streamlines mainland visas for foreigners in Hong Kong inoculated with China-made COVID-19 vaccines
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.
Beijing did not comment when asked at a press conference Tuesday whether it would be better to use vaccines recognized by the WHO, as many countries are not administering the injection made in China.
“China is making its own facilitation arrangements for those who have received Chinese vaccines,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said.
The move is based on “a full consideration of the safety and efficacy of vaccines,” and is a “significant attempt to facilitate cross-border travel,” he told reporters.
“It has nothing to do with the issue of China approving vaccines.”
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