What’s new: China will resume processing passport applications for Chinese citizens seeking to travel abroad from Jan. 8, as the country has abandoned its “zero-Covid” policy and moves toward a full reopening of its borders.
China will also start issuing tourist and business visas again for Chinese mainland residents visiting Hong Kong, and begin reopening sea and land ports, the National Immigration Administration said in a statement Tuesday.
Other measures slated to take effect Jan. 8 include scrapping the so-called closed-loop management of ports and resuming the issuance of entry visas for foreign ship crews, according to the statement.
The background: The statement comes after the National Health Commission said Monday that it will stop treating Covid-19 as a “Class A” infectious disease starting Jan. 8 and remove restrictions on international travel, including ending quarantine for inbound travelers.
The health authority said outbound travel for Chinese nationals will be restored in an orderly manner, but did not elaborate.
Under the “zero-Covid” policy, China has been restricting international travel since early 2020. As recently as May this year, the country reaffirmed that it discouraged citizens from going abroad, while the border between Hong Kong and the mainland has been largely shut for almost three years.
Contact reporter Wang Xintong (xintongwang@caixin.com) and editor Jonathan Breen (jonathanbreen@caixin.com)
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