US, India mull Covid curbs on Chinese travellers

The US and India are considering imposing new Covid restrictions on Chinese arrivals, after Beijing announced it would reopen its borders next month.

Passport applications for Chinese citizens wishing to travel internationally will resume from January 8, the country’s immigration authorities have said. Travel sites have reported a spike in traffic, leaving some countries fearful over the potential spread of Covid, a BBC report said.

American officials say this is due to a lack of transparency surrounding the virus in China, as cases surge.

Japan, Malaysia and Taiwan – worried at importing Covid cases – have already outlined tighter measures for Chinese travellers, including Covid negative tests.

Beijing has said Covid rules should be brought in on a “scientific” basis.

India said it is stepping up measures for Chinese arrivals.

“There are mounting concerns in the international community on the ongoing Covid-19 surges in China and the lack of transparent data, including viral genomic sequence data,” US officials said in a statement quoted by news agencies.

Wang Wenbin, China’s foreign minister spokesperson, subsequently accused Western countries and media of “hyping up” and “distorting China’s Covid policy adjustments”.