China reopens its borders almost 3 years after its strict zero COVID policy

travelers came to China by air, sea and land on Sunday, many of them eager to be reunited with their loved ones, when Beijing opened borders that remained practically closed since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

After three years, Mainland China opened sea and land crossings with Hong Kong and ended the requirement that incoming travelers have been in quarantinedismantling the last pillar of the politics of zero COVID that it had protected the 1.4 billion Chinese from the virus, but also isolated them from the rest of the world.

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Relaxation in the last month of one of the regimens covid The world’s strictest restrictions followed protests against a policy that included frequent testing, restrictions on movement and mass lockdowns that severely damaged the world’s second largest economy.

There were long lines at the check-in counters at Hong Kong International Airport for flights to mainland cities such as Beijing, Tianjin and Xiamen.. Hong Kong media estimated that thousands of people were crossing. “I am so happy, so content, so excited. I haven’t seen my parents for many years.” Hong Kong resident Teresa Chow said as she and dozens of other travelers prepared to cross into mainland China from the Lok Ma Chau checkpoint.

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“My parents are not in good health and I couldn’t see them again even when they had colon cancer, so I’m very happy to see them again now”said.

Passengers in the international flight arrivals area at the Beijing International Airport, China, on January 8, 2023. (Noel CELIS / AFP).

Investors hope the reopening will reinvigorate a $17 trillion economy that is growing at its slowest pace in nearly half a century. However, the abrupt policy change has unleashed a wave of infections that is overwhelming hospitals and disrupting businesses.

The opening of the borders coincides with the beginning of “chun yun”, the 40-day period of travel of the Lunar New Year, which left on Saturday and which before the pandemic was the largest annual migration in the world, as people returned to their hometowns or went on vacation with the family.

Some 2,000 million trips are expected this season, almost double that of last year and 70% of the total for 2019, according to the Government.

Many Chinese are also expected to start traveling abroad, a long-awaited change for tourist hotspots in countries like Thailand and Indonesia. But several governments – concerned about the rebound in the covid in China– are imposing restrictions on travelers from the country.

According to analysts, travel will not quickly return to pre-pandemic levels due to factors such as a shortage of international flights.

At the Beijing Capital International Airport, family and friends exchanged emotional hugs and greetings with passengers from places like Hong Kong, Warsaw and Frankfurt, impossible encounters just a day before.

“I had been waiting a long time for the reopening. We are finally reconnected with the world. I’m delighted, I can’t believe it,” said a 55-year-old businesswoman surnamed Shen, who flew in from Hong Kong.

Among those waiting at the airport were a group of women hoping to see boy band Tempest, the first South Korean pop group to enter China in three years.

Source: Elcomercio