China will continue to ease Covid-19 restrictions

China will continue to ease Covid-19 restrictions, according to its ambassador to the US, Qin Gang. He says the country will welcome even more international travellers in the “near future.”

“We know people’s concerns. Now, the measures are being relaxed and in the near future I believe that measures will be further relaxed and international travel will become easier.”

Qin’s answer above was in response to a question about whether the Chinese government felt obligated to respond to increasing protests against its zero-Covid policy. Previously Qin joined other officials in defending the country’s handling of Covid-19, while also criticising Western nations for their seemingly lax approach.

According to the Straits Times, two US officials recently visited China to help prepare for a visit in the near future by the Secretary of State Antony Blinken. His trip to the mainland will be the highest-level visit by a US official since the onset of the Covid pandemic.

Qin went on to describe the loosening of Covid restrictions as being a “dynamic readjustment,” which is acknowledged as a play on the “dynamic zero Covid” policy in the recent past. He then addressed worries over how the restrictions have hurt the economy. He says the government recognises the “coordination of Covid response and economic growth.”

“The government is taking a very responsible attitude to protect people’s lives facing the threat of Covid. And our response policy in these matters has always been dynamic, not rigid- you know, just lockdown and asking people to confine to their homes- that’s not true.”