Travelers will walk through Beijing Daxing International Airport in Beijing, China on Tuesday, August 25, 2020.
Yan Cong | Bloomberg | Getty images
China is making it easier for foreigners vaccinated with China-made coronavirus vaccines to enter the country after closing its borders to international travel over a year ago due to Covid-19.
Multiple Chinese embassies around the world – including the one in the United States United Kingdom India, Israel and the Philippines – released messages on Monday outlining how foreigners can apply for visas to enter China.
But the instructions only apply to those who have been fully vaccinated with Covid-19 vaccines made in China and have the vaccination certificate to prove it.
To be clear, people with a valid residence permit can enter China without a new visa. Those without Chinese vaccines can also apply for a visa, but they need stronger grounds or specific documents to meet the requirements.
Vaccinationalism is a possibility that cannot be ruled out in the absence of any further explanation.
Chong Yes Ian
Associate Professor of Political Science
Chong Ja Ian, associate professor of political science at the National University of Singapore, weighed in on possible reasons for China’s move.
“Vaccine nationalism is a possibility that cannot be ruled out given the lack of further explanation,” he told CNBC in an email.
Chong also said some observers are suggesting that this is a way for China to get more use and recognition of its vaccines, or that countries are more likely to approve their vaccines.
China has developed five vaccines and 34 countries have approved at least one Chinese vaccine, according to CNBC’s calculations based on a Covid-19 vaccine discovery site.
In comparison, the Pfizer-BioNTech injection has been approved by 72 countries, while the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine has been approved in 74 countries.
Chinese vaccines have been greeted with some skepticism as information is less readily available compared to that produced by Western pharmaceutical companies.
Covid-19 was first reported in China, in the city of Wuhan, before spreading to the rest of the world. The coronavirus is now largely under control in China, but the country’s borders have largely remained closed to foreigners.
Entry requirements
Notifications from each embassy differed in terms, but in general, foreigners from certain countries who have been fully vaccinated with Chinese vaccines need fewer documents to apply for a visa. They are also allowed into the country for more reasons – although tourism is not one of them.
For example, the Chinese Embassy in the United Kingdom said that those applying to enter for business purposes no longer need to submit a letter of invitation from provincial governments or trade departments. Those who do not have a Chinese vaccine will still need to provide a letter of invitation to apply, based on the visa requirements announced in November.
China also expanded the scope of those eligible to apply for humanitarian visas. Those from the UK who wish to enter the country to reunite with their families can now apply once they have taken the Chinese recordings.
Without the Chinese vaccine, foreigners from the UK can only apply to enter if a family member is in critical condition and needs care, or if they need to arrange funeral matters in China.
The country’s quarantine measures up to 21 days still apply where relevant and negative Covid tests must be presented. Applicants must wait 14 days after receiving a Chinese-made vaccine before applying for a visa to enter China.