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China’s zero-Covid strategy risks isolating it from trade partners as US tensions rise, expert says

  • China’s restrictions on international travel could compromise efforts to foster closer diplomatic ties with major trading partners, expert warns
  • Comments come as the Biden administration gathers US allies to challenge China on a number of fronts, from Taiwan to trade

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Inbound travel options for China have been cut drastically and quarantine requirements can be up to 21 days. Photo: Bloomberg

China risks losing an opportunity to leverage its trade clout and offset United States containment efforts if it continues with its harsh border restrictions in 2022, a prominent Chinese academic has warned, as calls mount for Beijing to strike a balance between economic growth and Covid-19 prevention.

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China’s restrictions on international travel could compromise efforts to foster closer diplomatic ties with major trading partners next year, said Zhao Kejin, an expert on China’s foreign policy and US-China relations at Tsinghua University in Beijing. He said Beijing should consider easing its border policy.

“Not a comprehensive reopening, but a targeted reopening,” he said at a virtual forum on Thursday.

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His comments come as the Biden administration gathers US allies to challenge China on a number of fronts, from Taiwan to human rights and trade.

Washington has applied pressure through its democracy summit this month, a renewed trilateral partnership with the European Union and Japan on trade, the Quad military alliance and the American-UK-Australian security pact known as Aukus.

China could counter the US by leveraging its 1.4 billion-strong consumer market and prominence in global trade, Zhao said.

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He added China will host international organizations like BRICS in the next year, which will offer it the chance influence international rules in areas like climate change, economic cooperation and the digital economy.

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