Last month, Beijing enacted a new policy making it easier for foreigners to apply for a visa for China if they had received a Chinese vaccine – raising concern among experts, who warned it was threatening to set a dangerous precedent that could leave the world separated in vaccine silos.
There was also a practical problem: In many countries, including the United States, it is impossible to get a Chinese vaccine because it has not been approved for use by regulators.
Since about half of the adults in the US had received at least one Covid-19 shot, many travelers who were eligible to enter China – Chinese citizens or foreigners who obtained visas – were unsure whether the vaccine would they had received would be considered. enough to travel to China.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington finally provided some clarity in a recent statement, setting out what tests travelers to China who received one of the US-approved vaccines – Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson – should get to approved to enter the country.
With China back to work for the most part and the number of infections low, many will likely attempt that process soon, especially as the number of vaccinated people in the US continues to rise.
Last month, China launched its own version of a vaccine passport, the International Travel Health Certificate (ITHC), to enable immunized people to travel more freely. The country is also moving towards approving more vaccines, including vaccines made abroad, that would make it easier for Chinese living abroad and foreigners hoping to travel to China to apply to the ITHC .
According to the Wall Street Journal, Chinese officials have examined clinical trial data for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which could be approved for household use before July.
The Global Times, a state newspaper, quoted the head of the Chinese Vaccine Industry Association as saying that China’s approval would “show its concern” for expats who “wanted some foreign-made vaccines to make them easier to spot when they go home. return”.
And the approval of the BioNTech vaccine, which has an impressive 97% effectiveness, could also help China improve the immunity levels of its own population, despite some concerns about the relatively low efficacy of domestic vaccines and a shortage of supply. .
However, with the Pfizer-BioNTech gunned down among those attacked by the Chinese propaganda bodies, it may require more than just scientific approval, and it remains to be seen how much damage the criticism has had in terms of undermining confidence of the Chinese public in foreign vaccines.
China’s business: Xi is targeting bossy foreigners
Chinese President Xi Jinping this week called for global cooperation in the face of a growing anti-China front led by the United States, warning that an “open world economy” is essential to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
“Attempts to put up or disconnect walls violate the law of economics and market principles,” Xi said via video at the Boao Forum for Asia in China on Tuesday. “They would harm the interests of others without benefiting themselves.”
“We must not allow the rules of one or a few countries to be imposed on others, or let the unilateralism of certain countries set the pace for the whole world,” added Xi.
While Xi did not mention a country during his speech – top Chinese leaders usually don’t mention them and don’t usually feel ashamed – his comments seemed a veiled criticism of the United States, which has been increasing pressure on China in recent months.
Last month, the US and its allies condemned Beijing and imposed coordinated sanctions on Chinese officials for alleged repression of Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang province. Most of the harsh sanctions the Trump administration has imposed on some of China’s most prominent tech companies remain in place, and trade tensions persist under the Biden administration.
“Directing others or interfering in the internal affairs of others would not receive any support,” Xi said at the forum, which was attended by thousands of executives and political leaders.
Some of America’s greatest entrepreneurs and investors attended the event as they attempted to navigate the tumultuous relationship between the world’s two largest economies. Blackstone’s Stephen Schwarzman and Ray Dalio, the billionaire founder of the world’s largest hedge fund, joined a panel Monday night, organizers said. Apple CEO Tim Cook and Tesla CEO Elon Musk are also expected to attend.
– Laura He, CNN Business
Quoted and noted
“At the invitation of US President Joe Biden, President Xi Jinping will attend the climate summit in Beijing via video and give a speech.”
– After the visit of the American climate envoy John Kerry to Shanghai resulted in a boring but promising joint statementXi’s participation in Biden’s proposed leadership summit later this month, announced by China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, could be a big step forward, both in heating the icy bilateral relationship and in addressing the developing climate disaster.
The other Super League
With all the attention in the football world to the slow, ugly collapse of the European Super League (ESL), the Chinese The Super League (CSL) had a somewhat more dignified start to the last season on Tuesday, with a 2-2 draw in the Guangzhou derby.
Launched in 2004, it wasn’t until the early 2010s that the CSL seemed on the cusp of becoming a major force in global football, with millions of dollars flipping around and significant signings from foreign players, in response to a call from Xi himself to improve. China is in global football with an eye on future World Cup glory.
That glory never came – China only appeared in the international competition once in 2002, falling during the qualifying phase for the final World Cup, finishing second to last in its group.
The domestic game hasn’t exactly been blinded either, despite the massive amounts of money put into it and the import of foreign talent both on and off the field. And, in turn, owners of free releases have made less than stellar returns on their investments.
While some of the delay was due to government restrictions to curb commercialization – fans in particular complained about how owners were changing club names at will – they were also hit by the coronavirus pandemic, which the proponents of the new ESL had also given the reason for renewing European football.
Part of that plan would be a decreasing level of importance attached to stadium attendees and home fan bases, and more focus on broadcast rights and international revenues, a model similar to the one followed by the CSL, where it was hoped that headline signings from stars such as Oscar and Carlos Tevez would bring viewers around the world.
But disconnecting the game from the basics and focusing on it purely as a money-making operation – as the owners pushing the ESL are accused of – entails major risks. Earlier this year, Jiangsu FC, the reigning Chinese champions, was forced to cease operations due to lack of funds, a move that sparked a panicky wave of European football as the club shares an owner, retail giant Suning, with future ESL founder Inter. Milan.
Photo of the day
The dark side of the sharing economy: A bicycle graveyard in Shenyang, northeastern Liaoning province. Similar piles of abandoned bicycles have surfaced across China after the rapid expansion and then implosion of many bike sharing apps.
