Many foreigners living in Beijing have gone for more than 18 months without seeing their spouse or children. DSORennie is one of them
he most important page in my passport is creased from being examined so often. Thankfully, the red-ink stamp in one corner, marking my last entry into China, is still crisp and clear. I know the date by heart, after volunteering it to railway inspectors in white protective suits, to hotel clerks and airport guards and police officers at highway checkpoints, dozens of times over the past 22 months.
But China is an autocracy guided by cold self-interest. And concealing large numbers of cases now would sabotage surveillance systems built not just to manage the spread of the virus, but to eradicate it. It has even less interest in allowing sickness to grip Beijing, the heavily guarded home of top leaders and host city of the Winter Olympics in February.
That history is displayed on a separate smartphone app that uses mobile-phone signals to trace my movements. A trip to a county or city district with even a single case of covid in the past fortnight triggers a Beijing entry ban. Visiting any of the 51 Chinese counties that lie on a land border is also grounds for exclusion from the capital.
There is still less tolerance for travel outside the Chinese mainland. To prevent imported infections, authorities have capped international passenger flights at 2.2% of pre-pandemic levels, stopped issuing tourist visas and largely stopped the delivery of new passports to Chinese citizens. The British government’s insouciant approach to covid has left the country on China’s high-risk list. With no direct flights between Britain and China, arriving in Beijing from London requires a transit through Frankfurt, Paris or some other third city, where a battery of covid tests must be submitted to the local Chinese embassy or consulate for approval.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Analysis: Stay, swap or shed: Investors brace for delisting of U.S.-listed China stocksAs a long-running Sino-U.S. diplomatic spat threatens to force Chinese companies off American stock exchanges, global equity investors are assessing ways to retain or add exposure to the world's second-biggest economy.
Read more »
China cuts lending benchmark, market sees more easing in 2022China cut its lending benchmark loan prime rate (LPR) for the first time in 20 months on Monday, in a bid to prop up growth in the slowing economy, although it remains wary of loosening conditions in the country's highly leveraged property market.
Read more »
China says 'bright' prospect for democracy in Hong KongProspects for democracy in Hong Kong are 'bright', China said on Monday in a white paper, a day after pro-Beijing candidates won a legislative election in the city in record low turnout after a sweeping Chinese crackdown on its freedoms.
Read more »
US-born China pop star Wang Leehom apologizes in scandal | AP NewsBEIJING (AP) — An Asian American who is one of the biggest pop stars in China apologized to his family and fans on Monday and said he will take a break from performing after a public dispute on social media with his ex-wife, who accused him of infidelity and hiring prostitutes.
Read more »
In China, Job Cuts Mount in Sectors Hit by Tighter RegulationsTechnology, education and property companies are shedding employees, dimming the job prospects for college graduates.
Read more »
China says Taiwan is a 'wanderer' that will eventually come homeTaiwan is a 'wanderer' that will eventually come home and not a chess piece to be played with, the Chinese government's top diplomat said on Monday, drawing a strong riposte from the island's government.
Read more »