China to Allow in More Foreigners Inoculated with Chinese Vaccines

China to Allow in More Foreigners Inoculated with Chinese Vaccines
Mar 18, 2021 By eChinacities.com

China will allow in foreigners from several more countries as long as they have had one of the Chinese vaccines. After Hong Kong annouced last week that visas will start being processed again for foreigners who have had a Chinese vaccine, the embassies of 20 more countries, including the US, the UK, Australia, Israel, Pakistan, Thailand, Iraq and the Philippines, say the same scheme has been extended to them.

China to allow in foreigners with Chinese vaccine
Source:  Serhat Beyazkaya

The requirements vary slightly by country, according to a report in British newspaper the Guardian, but the majority of the embassies in question say that visa procedures will return to pre-Covid measures for applicants inoculated with Chinese vaccines. In most cases, this would do away with the need for a letter of invitation from China and a health and travel declaration from the country of application.

Those applying will be required to have taken two doses of a Chinese vaccine or one-dose of the new single-dose option at least 14 days before traveling. Travelers will, however, still need a negative Covid test and to quarantine on arrival in China, the newspaper reports.

However, as the Chinese vaccines are not approved for use and therefore unavailable in several of the countries named, there are suggestions that Beijing is using the scheme as a way to push these countries into green-lighting the Chinese products. China is also not currently accepting applicants inoculated with foreign vaccines, including those approved by the WHO.

The Chinese government now has five vaccines approved for general or emergency use, including three that have been distributed to other countries, either as part of trade of aid programs. None have so far been approved by the WHO, however.

China’s Sinovac vaccine is currently available in Hong Kong, where the first changes to the visa process were announced, as well as in Thailand, Iraq, the Philippines, and several others countries that can now enjoy easier access. China is, however, yet to publish trial data on its vaccines, and efficacy rates vary wildly among the mainly Asian, African and South American countries that have already rolled them out to their populations.

In a press conference on Tuesday, Zhao Lijian, spokesperson of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, denied that China was trying to push other countries to recognize its vaccines via the new visa scheme. “This is an arrangement made by the Chinese side unilaterally. It is a different thing from vaccine recognition,” he said.

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Keywords: China to allow in foreigners with Chinese vaccine

10 Comments

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Calaba

Good way to push!!

Sep 22, 2022 20:14 Report Abuse

Calaba

no doubt that the chinese vaccine is widely recognized in the whole world.

Aug 17, 2022 01:46 Report Abuse

orientexpressguy

A useful article.

Apr 16, 2021 10:25 Report Abuse

johannes8wolf

Does anybody know if one can enter with a positive antibody test instead?

Mar 31, 2021 18:41 Report Abuse

oxana212

Keep it up, China ♥

Mar 28, 2021 19:15 Report Abuse

Obande

We be very happy to have the visa

Mar 18, 2021 20:20 Report Abuse