Chinese officials warned on Tuesday of “countermeasures” against countries that imposed Covid restrictions on its travelers for “political reasons,” as the world’s second largest economy faces a massive wave of infections after lifting stringent quarantine rules.
China has called the increasing international restrictions on tourists from its territory “unacceptable,” after more than a dozen nations imposed new Covid-19 rules on visitors from China.
As concerns mount about a surge in cases, a number of countries, such as Israel, the United States, Canada, Japan, and France, have tightened border controls for visitors from China.
Beijing’s sudden lifting of strict controls over the Chinese healthcare system last month has led to a dramatic increase of infection cases, overloading the country’s hospitals and cemeteries.
“We believe that some countries’ entry restrictions targeting only China lack scientific basis and some excessive measures are unacceptable,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said Tuesday, according to a Bloomberg translation.
“We firmly oppose attempts to manipulate Covid prevention and control measures to achieve political goals, and China will take corresponding measures based on the principle of reciprocity in different situations,” she said, without naming any specific countries. She went on to say that China was ready to “strengthen communication with the international community and work together to defeat Covid.”
