Top Chinese diplomats urge EU, Asian nations to drop travel restrictions

China’s envoy to the European Union asks industry leaders to ‘speak out’ against ‘unfavourable factors’ hindering tourism recovery
Thailand and Malaysia earn praise from senior Beijing officials for welcoming Chinese travellers

Coronavirus China

Teddy Ng

Published: 4:30pm, 18 Jan 2023

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Senior Chinese diplomats have called on Asian and European partners to remove Covid-19 restrictions targeting Chinese travellers, while Malaysia and Thailand earned praise for welcoming tourists.

In a phone call on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang told his Malaysian counterpart Zambry Abdul Kadir that China appreciated Malaysia’s stance on Beijing’s Covid-19 pandemic policy.

“The Malaysian government and various sectors of the society hold objective and just views on China’s epidemic prevention policy, and welcome Chinese tourists to their country. China commends them for all this,” Qin was quoted as saying in a Chinese foreign ministry statement.

China’s retaliation over Covid travel curbs could be a diplomatic own goal

The remarks came amid a spate of diplomatic disputes between China and other nations over restrictions on Chinese travellers, including visa suspensions and Covid-19 testing requirements.

Those nations, including the United States, Japan, South Korea, Germany and Canada, have cited China’s recent spike in infections following the removal of zero-Covid measures as the reason for their concerns.

In retaliation for what it called “discriminatory and unscientific” restrictions on Chinese tourists, Beijing suspended short-term visas for South Korean and Japanese travellers.

Chinese officials said they had shared Covid-19 data with the World Health Organization and that no new virus variants had emerged in the country.

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang has commended Malaysia for its “objective and just” stance towards Beijing’s Covid-19 control policy. Photo: AFP

Chinese envoy to the European Union Fu Cong said in a round table with industry representatives on Monday that Chinese tourism was an important growth driver for the European travel industry.

“It is hoped that the leaders of the European tourism industry will play a greater role in promoting practical cooperation between China and Europe in the tourism business,” Fu was quoted as saying in a statement by the Chinese diplomatic mission to the EU.

“In the face of the current unfavourable factors hindering the recovery of China-Europe tourism, they will actively speak out to boost confidence and positive energy, promoting tourism as a bridge of friendship,” he said, without specifying what the “unfavourable factors” were.

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Also on Monday, Liu Jinsong, director general of Asian affairs for the Chinese foreign ministry, told Thai East Asian affairs director general Chatchai Viriyavejakul that the changes to Beijing’s Covid-19 control measures would boost China’s economic development and personnel exchanges.

Liu praised three Thai government ministers for greeting a group of Chinese tourists – the first to arrive in three years – at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport last week.

One of the officials was Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who said the resumption of tourism was a sign of his nation’s economic revival.

Zero-Covid over, Chinese travellers swing into overseas holiday mode

Liu said cultural and people-to-people exchanges between China and Thailand would fully resume this year.

China lifted its zero-Covid mandate last month and reopened its borders in January, removing quarantine requirements.

Officials said nearly a million residents of the Chinese mainland had applied for entry permits to Hong Kong, Macau or Taiwan since the relaxation of Covid-19 control measures.