This week, Zhang Wenhong, one of Chinas most prominent infectious disease experts, is battling a plagiarism allegation that could tar his professional reputation after he was criticized online and by state media outlets for suggesting that China should deviate from its COVID-zero approach and learn to live with the virus. Theres no plan of a specific date or anything at all.. In the face of intense criticism, the government has repeatedly defended its course of action. Strict quarantine requirements may therefore persist for much, if not all, of 2022. Continue reading your article witha WSJ subscription, Already a member? Meanwhile, China has returned to and maintained an essentially pre-Covid state becoming a kind of parallel universe. The plunge came after a Chinese court froze $20 million worth of bank deposits from Evergrande at the request of one of its creditors. On Sunday, a member of the Executive Council told local media the city might not be able to open its China border until February. The city government doesnt want to be seen as pursuing an opposing policy as the rest of China, Thomas said. The deep freeze on international tourism due to Covid restrictions has been tough on most Asian economies, but for China, borders closed to tourists is a net positive, according to Bloomberg Economics research. But hoping that mainland China will reopen its borders may ultimately leave Hong Kong effectively sealed off from the rest of the world for the foreseeable future. Sign up here. Some of the 14 countries that share a border with China are Russia, Vietnam, Pakistan, Nepal and Laos. I do not think the government will have trouble reaching its targets for vaccination rates. But long before the warning, some Americans and other Westerners with long-lasting professional ties with China had already grown wary of visiting both mainland China and Hong Kong. It is growing more common to face demands from members of the public to agree that China is strong and the West failing. Data from travel and analytics firm Cirium showed airlines are increasing flights between the United Kingdom and the U.S. by 21% this month over last month. could be sentient says Microsofts chatbot feels like watching the A cruise company is making a big play for remote workers to sail around the world for just $30,000 a year, CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information, Grocery prices continue to riseand theres. International tourism, both inbound and outbound, has ground to a halt. Hong Kongs vaccination campaign has improved in recent months after a sluggish start, but 50% of Hong Kong residents remain completely unvaccinated. This spring several embassies debated whether China should become a hardship posting reserved for diplomats without dependents. But in order to err on the side of caution, and to prevent the spread of the disease, we have to [impose restrictions]Everything we are doing is to protect Hong Kong from another major outbreak.. At least 12 people have been confirmed dead in Zhengzhou, the provincial capital, where more than 20 centimeters (7.8 inches) of rain fell in one hour on Tuesday, according to the meteorological observatory. Today (Saturday, 5 June 2021) the borders of China are fully open for 0/ 32 countries, partially open for 51/ 32 countries. Chinas COVID-zero playbook for battling the virus has proved successful against the Delta variant of COVID-19. Sign up here. Disney fans will also be pleased to hear that Shanghai Disney Resort is open as normal, albeit with some health precautions. All rights reserved. IT IS BECOMING clear that China will not, or perhaps cannot, re-open its borders soon. Social media users perceived Zhangs comments as undermining Beijings COVID-zero policies, and Shanghais Fudan University investigatedbut later clearedZhang of plagiarism allegations amid the online backlash. Visits by political leaders from abroad have largely ceased. The change will have a profound effect on the borders with Mexico and Canada, where traveling back and forth was a way of life until the pandemic hit and the U.S. shut down nonessential travel. FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. On a recent domestic flight, Chaguans neighbour pointedly asked to move seats. China is unlikely to re-open its borders in 2022 It is the last large country with a zero-covid policy Nov 8th 2021 By Sue-Lin Wong: Correspondent, The Economist I N JUNE 2021 one of. Would-be travelers must be careful as flights can be canceled at the last minute. Regional lockdowns have been imposed every time there are new outbreaks of the virus. Chan . It has had only a few new cases in recent months. Updated Today (Saturday, 5 June 2021) the borders of China are fully open for 0/ 32 countries, partially open for 51/ 32 countries. If the pandemic continues for a long time, even the strictest prevention and control methods will not work forever, Zhong said. The lowest estimate was 6.6 billion USD per year, with a disclaimer that it could well be double that figure. China has maintained a strict zero-Covid approach, even as many other countries transition to living with the coronavirus. Updated: 12:08pm, 24 Jul, 2021. Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. The problem is that opening the borders is hard to reconcile with Chinese peoples expectations of zero Covid cases. At the time of writing, eight positive cases have been detected, including other port workers and their family members, none of whom have so much as run a fever. And if Hong Kong wants to reopen to the mainland, it may have to abide by a similar zero-tolerance approach to COVID-19. Vaccinated motorists line up to cross the border at the San Ysidro crossing port on the Mexico-US border in Tijuana, Baja California state, Mexico, on November 7, 2021. Some foreign ministers have been admitted to China to meet their counterpart, Wang Yi, but only in provincial cities. Bloomberg View columnist Barry Ritholtz looks at the people and ideas that shape markets, investing and business. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Discovery Company. Tough decisions will need to be made soon. Chang Shu +Follow. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice| Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information| Ad Choices "China used to be a place that was exciting and wild. Even so, these vaccines still prevent severe cases of covid-19 which, in theory, reduces pressure on the health-care system. Rigorous testing and 20 million vaccinations a day might see Beijing ready to host the Winter Olympics 2022. Your browser does not support the