China, open up your borders!

China’s Covid control strategy is undergoing a sweeping overhaul with the scrapping of mass nucleic acid testing, unplugging travel tracking and relaxing quarantine requirements. The changes are significant and will adapt to the quickly evolving new realities. However, further refinement of border controls is still pending despite rising expectations.

As China eases controls domestically, infections are surging across the country. With mass virus testing no longer required, precise infection data is no longer available. Some are concerned about new virus strains that spread rapidly overseas. Now, China has allowed Covid patients with mild and no symptoms to self-isolate at home while removing most travel restrictions on the public. At the same time, inbound travellers are still subject to strict centralized quarantine, which seems contradictory. The recent easing measures have paved the way for China to revamp its entry restrictions. There is little barrier to relaxing border controls to make the policies consistent with domestic virus controls.

Quarantine requirements have created huge invisible costs for inbound travellers on top of other costs due to scarce and pricey flight tickets and travel restrictions during the pandemic. The complexity of the requirements and excessive implementation by some local authorities have made travellers suffer more. More importantly, China’s economic opening-up needs simpler and clearer entry policies to benefit international communication. But stringent quarantine requirements will undermine such efforts and send confusing signals to the world about China’s reopening intentions.

Eliminating border restrictions is the key for major economies to push forward post-pandemic recovery as unimpeded international communication is crucial to restoring businesses. Whoever seizes the opportunity will have the initiative in the post-pandemic era.