Headhunters are struggling to attract new talent to Hong Kong, with people looking instead to places with more relaxed rules. The downgrade reflects Evergrandes weakened funding access and reduced liquidity buffer given its large debt maturities in the coming 12-18 months amid the tight credit environment in China and volatility in the capital markets, Cedric Lai, a vice president and senior analyst at Moodys, said in a statement at the time. . But Hong Kongs strict new rules may help stem Delta-driven outbreaks and bring the city closer to opening quarantine-free travel with mainland Chinathat is, if Chinas government ever chooses to accept travelers from Hong Kong. At present, most visitors are not yet allowed entry to the country. 2. Authorities acted swiftly. As many as half a million foreign students at Chinese institutions are stuck outside the country: their visas were cancelled in March 2020. Updated I n March 2020, . Chan . 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China is building a wall (or fortified fence) along its border with Myanmar (Asia Times, 19 December 2020). See how we collect data and find out why not all countries are included in the statistics. Chinas 350kmph driverless bullet train should be top of your list. China has maintained a strict zero-Covid approach, even as many other countries transition to living with the coronavirus. 2:39 AM EDT, Wed July 21, 2021. The party may even choose to wait until after the annual parliamentary meeting in March 2023 to relax border controls, suggests Huang Yanzhong of the Council for Foreign Relations, an American think-tank. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of international students enrolled in Chinese universities have been barred from returning to the country, with many voicing frustrations on Twitter and tagging Chinese diplomats for help to no avail. The government has also struggled to increase vaccine uptake among older people, meaning a huge proportion of our population will be exposed to the problems associated with Delta the moment we open up internationally, Thomas said. our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. The fired Google engineer who thought its A.I. In March 2020, I wrote that life was returning to normal in China, but that other countries faced a longer wait. But if it continues on its current path, theres no telling when China will feel confident enough to reopen the border, or what criteria Hong Kong needs to meet leaving the city at the whim of the central government, simply waiting to be allowed in. In order to open its borders, China will first have to vaccinate its population. People queue to receive the Covid-19 vaccine in Guangzhou in Guangdong province, China. Most foreigners have been kept out, and anyone who is able to get into the country must spend at least 14 days in strict hotel quarantine. Hong Kong closed its borders to non-residents in early 2020 at the start of the pandemic. The vaccination campaign initially targeted key workers and those with a high chance of being exposed to or transmitting the virus. Offers may be subject to change without notice. But few data have been released about how Chinese vaccines cope with variants, or how long they work. That month, Chinas retail sales also grew by 2.5% compared with July, marking the slowest growth rate in over a year due in part to COVID-19 outbreaks and government-imposed lockdowns. By. 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. Let them study online, Chinese officials tell diplomats who mention their plight. Arguably, opening to China will bring in far more economic value, said Bernard Chan, convenor of the government advisory Executive Council. All rights reserved. When the virus does manage to seep into the country, Chinas government deploys neighborhood- or citywide lockdowns, mass testing, and intensive contact-tracing measures to find infections and halt outbreaks. In Chinas publishing business, you have to duck and dive, How nationalism is making life harder for gay people in China, China is keeping its borders closed, and turning inward, California: Do Not Sell My Personal Information, Chinas prime minister, Li Keqiang, is about to retire, Chinese arms could revive Russias failing war, How to prevent sycophancy in Chinas civil service. China's borders will likely remain shut for months, but some may be wary of visiting even after they reopen By Nectar Gan and Jessie Yeung, CNN Updated 2:39 AM EDT, Wed July 21, 2021 Link. Will His AI Plans Be Any Different? Hong Kongs vaccination campaign has improved in recent months after a sluggish start, but 50% of Hong Kong residents remain completely unvaccinated. I do understand that people are annoyed [by the new restrictions], Carrie Lam, Hong Kongs Chief Executive, said in a press conference on Tuesday. This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline "Turning inward", Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents, Under Xi Jinping, he has had little chance to shine, But Chinas leaders are treading carefully for now, The countrys government is organised in a way that could help, Published since September 1843 to take part in a severe contest between intelligence, which presses forward, and an unworthy, timid ignorance obstructing our progress.. More than a year and a half after COVID-19 concerns prompted the U.S. to close its borders to international travelers from countries including Brazil, China, India, South Africa, the U.K. and much . Chinas COVID-zero measures, which prioritize snuffing out even one COVID-19 case no matter the cost, have remained largely the same since the country successfully contained the worlds first outbreak of infections in Wuhan in the spring of 2020. China may open its borders to visitors in October 2021 according to current trends: The use of COVID-19 vaccines around the world is improving the situation. List of countries for which the borders with Estonia are partially or completely open: According to a draft policy document released by Chinas Ministry of Culture and Tourism on September 19, tour groups organized by travel agencies in Chinas border areas will be able to choose their port of entry and exit flexibly.. S&P Index data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. There are a few reasons why Hong Kong has made this decision, said Nicholas Thomas, an associate professor at the Department of Asian and International Studies at the City University of Hong Kong. Offers may be subject to change without notice. The long closure has impacted businesses and frustrated residents. 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. Beijing, where top leaders live, is off limits. For the newly qualified entrants, entry depends on having received two doses of Covid-19 vaccines at least 14 days prior to entry. Did you encounter any technical issues? On June 28, China announced that it would loosen, but not drop, its requirements for incoming travelers. The key to this success has been the rapidity and rigour of the measures taken to curtail community transmission. For which countries are the borders with China open? Travelers from the United States with valid residence permits and visas are allowed to enter China. And, Chan claimed, the majority of Hong Kongers are happy with things as they are. vaccination programme. As this border stretches more than 2000 kilometers, this 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. Official media published a story by a former health minister (whose background is in finance) expressing astonishment at the idea of easing controls. People feel that they made hard sacrifices in 2020 in order to defeat Covid, and see no reason to be exposed to risks again. A Warner Bros. China is the last large country in the world with a zero-covid policy. Foreign companies in favoured sectors can secure visas for executives, or for engineers who are needed to build advanced manufacturing sites that China wants. Both land and air borders will reopen to fully vaccinated travelers. Feel the need for speed? The provisional timeline of the second half of 2022 was set during a mid-May meeting of the countrys cabinet, or State Council, attended by officials from Chinas Foreign Ministry and National Health Commission, among other government bodies, one of the people said. A combination of education, incentives, regular small outbreaks and the occasional rumour about future vaccine shortages is likely to suffice. Would-be travelers must be careful as flights can be canceled at the last minute. These travelers will be permitted to visit specific sites as part of group tours, not on individual itineraries. It has been about 2 years that foreign students cannot come to China, but there are still possibilities that C. California: Do Not Sell My Personal Information, Ten business trends for 2023, and forecasts for 15 industries, The weather system that influences the world. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Subscribe to Fortune Dailyto get essential business stories straight to your inbox each morning. On Sunday, a member of the Executive Council told local media the city might not be able to open its China border until February. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Now more than ever, players rightly see themselves as multi-faceted entrepreneurs, and seek ways to leverage their brands in everything from real estate to venture capital. "If all goes smoothly at the border I'll plan on taking him down as much as I can. On Tuesday, Lam pointed to economic expansion in the first quarter to argue the city had not suffered badly from the tight restrictions. Many attractions require guests to register one day in advance and to take a Covid test before being permitted to enter. Non-vaccinated air travelers will be also able to enter but they will need to show proof of a negative Covid-19 test. . Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam at the Legislative Council on October 6. The record breaking rains, and similar flooding incidents happening in other parts of the country, have alarmed scientists and officials raising questions as to whether China is prepared to deal with more extreme weather as the climate crisis deepens. The index case was a port worker, who as a member of a high-risk group was tested every five days. Anyone visiting China is urged to be flexible as lockdowns can happen to apartment buildings, offices, or even entire neighborhoods with little notice. These include the Winter Olympics that Beijing will host next February and a Communist Party congress in late 2022, at which Xi Jinping is set to seek a fresh term as supreme leader. S&P Index data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. Given the sheer size of the company and the fact that its huge debt is widely held in China by banks and retail investors a default by Evergrande could pose significant risks to Chinas financial system. Students have postponed their studies, threatening the finances of universities across the globe; small international businesses have shut down; and the belt and road initiative, designed to broaden Chinas global impact, has been slowed. Only 36% of people over the age of 60 have gotten one dose, according to government data, which means that a Delta outbreak could prove deadly in Hong Kong. Land travel from Mexico and Canada will require proof of vaccination but no test. And Hong Kong has to be considered a safe place before the borders can reopen with China.. https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-to-keep-covid-19-border-restrictions-for-another-year-11624361777. Sue-Lin Wong: Correspondent, The Economist , This article appeared in the China section of the print edition of The World Ahead 2022 under the headline Closed, indefinitely, A global round-up from The Economist Intelligence Unit, As 2023 begins, the worlds most important climate system remains locked in La Nia, Published since September 1843 to take part in a severe contest between intelligence, which presses forward, and an unworthy, timid ignorance obstructing our progress.. The government rejected an offer for them to fly in by charter plane for a brief inspection visit in protective suits. The problem is that opening the borders is hard to reconcile with Chinese peoples expectations of zero Covid cases. The city is now effectively stuck in limbo, backed into a corner by its own policies with no easy path out. If they change their mind, that will be a sign that the party is finally ready to abandon its zero-covid policy. More than a year and a half after COVID-19 concerns prompted the U.S. to close its borders to international travelers from countries including Brazil, China, India, South Africa, the U.K. and much of Europe, restrictions are shifting to focus on vaccine status. public health experts and local politicians. Chinese leaders have declared that zero tolerance of covid-19. articles a month for anyone to read, even non-subscribers! But no foreign vaccines have been approved and its home-grown ones, including Sinopharm and Sinovac, are not very effective against Delta. Meanwhile, China has returned to and maintained an essentially pre-Covid state becoming a kind of parallel universe. For 18 months, Chinas borders have been all but locked, with most foreigners banned from entering the country and residents able to enter only after serving 14- to 21-day mandatory quarantines. Why are we still employing strict measures to prevent and control the disease? Zhong asked in an interview with Southern Weekly, a newspaper based in Guangzhou. Athletes' ambitions don't end when they leave the field of play. For their part, foreigners who live in mainland China appreciate being in a country that has the virus under control: in spring 2020 hundreds of millions of Chinese spent weeks at home to break the chain of transmission, often without pay. Among those who replied they would probably or definitely not visit, reasons ranged from previous visa rejections to outright fear of detention for themselves and for the Chinese people they work with or interview, and concerns that restrictions on movement, research, or reporting would compromise the professional value of spending time in China, said ChinaFile, which is published by the Asia Societys Center on US-China Relations. Like elsewhere, the pandemic has changed China in many ways some of which might add to the concerns of foreigners who plan to visit. and relaxing . Lams comments illustrate just how closely Hong Kongs government has tied its Covid strategy with China not surprising for a Chinese territory but a further sign of Hong Kongs deteriorating reputation as an international hub. Fears among investors are growing over a debt crisis that has engulfed one of Chinas largest property developers. China has tripled its daily COVID-19 vaccine rollout in June, inoculating 44% of its population with at least one dose, but its health experts warn against a quick border reopening, citing an . Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much The bottom line is that businesses should be aware that the risks faced in mainland China are now increasingly present in Hong Kong, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters. China may be only monthsif not weeksaway from Zhongs target. Any change to this message would take time and would also be embarrassing. On Aug. 12, a fully vaccinated, 38-year-old female tested positive for the Delta variant of COVID-19 on her 12th day back in Hong Kong after a trip to the U.S. and a seven-day stay in a Hong Kong quarantine hotel. Their everyday movements will be tracked by a mandatory smartphone health code app, required for entry to office buildings, restaurants, shopping malls and train stations. China wants 80% of its population vaccinated by the end of 2021. Malls, restaurants and Main Street shops in U.S. border towns have been devastated by the lack of visitors from Mexico. Things can change fast in China. Most people in China would happily stay in this parallel universe for another five years. Shanghai's neon skyline is one of China's modern wonders. But there's one condition: they need to have received a China-made Covid-19 vaccine. We have made it very clear that our focus will be opening the border with the mainland. Footage broadcast by state news agency Xinhua and shared widely online shows passengers in Zhengzhou trapped inside a flooded subway car, packed tightly together as the water climbs higher. There will be CDC workers spot-checking travelers for compliance in the U.S. At land borders, Customs and Border Protection agents will check vaccine proof. Here, Zhuang Pinghui and Simone McCarthy look into what it . A single case can lead to city-wide testing and lockdown. IN JUNE 2021 one of Chinas most respected scientists tentatively suggested that the country might want to begin relaxing its zero-covid policy in 2022. 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 Hong Kong doesnt have any real power to decide upon, he added. Today (Saturday, 5 June 2021) the borders of China are fully open for 0/ 32 countries, partially open for 51/ 32 countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. 27/12/2022. Their priorities are different from those who are locally based., The broader general public is so used to zero cases, theyre happy, he added. However, the Omicron variant has proven challenging, and the government is still pursuing a zero Covid strategy. Starting Monday, the U.S. is accepting fully vaccinated travelers at airports and land borders, doing away with a COVID-19 restriction that dates back to the Trump administration. More than 100,000 people have so far been evacuated from low lying areas of the city, with thousands of emergency personnel deployed to assist in the effort, according to state-run media. Sign up here. Nationalism and impatience with foreign criticism were on the rise before covid-19. Below is information on what to know if you still plan to travel, last updated on September 21. As of Jan 8, 2023, travelers from the United States and Canada are no longer required to take mandatory quarantine after landing in Chinese mainland. Last month, the border cracked open somewhat but only one way, allowing some Chinese residents to enter Hong Kong without quarantine, not vice versa. hide caption. Beijing is planning to keep its pandemic border restrictions in place for at least another year as officials fret over the emergence of new variants and a calendar of sensitive events,. The Communist Party has made the goal of eliminating covid-19 infections a top priority. As a result, opening up could pose challenges to hospitals, especially in rural areas. But with the borders yet to fully reopen, it remains to be seen how much of the surging ultra-nationalism online will affect everyday actions and encounters. Travelers walk through Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, China, on Saturday, May 1, 2021. In order to open its borders, China will first have to vaccinate its population. Beyond that, specific details have not yet been spelled out. China's border reopening and travel restrictions | South China Morning Post Latest news and updates about travel restrictions, quarantine requirement for foreigners, and zero Covid-19 policy. Zhang Wenhong, who has been likened to Anthony Fauci, President Joe Bidens chief medical adviser, for his sober, science-based analysis, was pilloried online.
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