China is likely to gradually ease its border controls after the two sessions, the nation's most important annual political event, which is scheduled to kick off today and last one week.

Easing the controls will facilitate the resumption of international exchanges, as the COVID-19 pandemic has been basically brought under control in China and some other countries such as South Korea, experts said. (Source: GLOBAL TIMES)

Who can enter China as border control may ease?

1

Important business leaders and much-needed production technicians.etc

"China may relax border controls gradually after the two sessions or in early June," Wang Hongwei, a professor at Renmin University of China's School of Public Administration and Policy in Beijing, told the Global Times on Sunday. 

"Chinese students studying abroad who have graduated, important business leaders and much-needed production technicians, could get priority to return to China," Wang noted.

Zhou Zijun, a public health expert at Peking University, told the Global Times that as the epidemic has ebbed in China and medical testing ability has improved, it's time to lift restrictions on some business travel.

2

Personnel from countries working on fast-track policy with China

Chinese government departments are working with some countries and regions to set up "express access" channels for the entry of personnel of foreign-invested enterprises amid the virus outbreak, China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said on last Thursday.

German

The Chinese government has discussed with the German chamber of commerce and also with the German Embassy a fast track procedure to get employees of German companies back to China, Jens Hildebrandt, Executive Director of the German Chamber of Commerce in China, told the Global Times on Thursday.

Photo: AFP

"We are planning the first possible charter flight on May 25 with around 200 people. It's going to start from Frankfurt and go to Shanghai Pudong," Hildebrandt said.

These people are urgently needed by their companies in China. They include specialists and machine maintenance technicians, as well as employees' families - many families have already been separated for three months, he said. 

"All passengers should take COVID-19 tests in Germany before they board…we will also take security measures on the flight. The Chinese side has proposed that there should be a 48-hour quarantine after arrival in China," he said, adding that everyone must take nucleic acid and antibody tests during their quarantine period after arriving in Shanghai.

Korean

South Koreans and Chinese may soon be exempted from a two-week quarantine or self-isolation if they make business visits to each other countries carrying negative coronavirus certificate, the Korean government announced.

Other governments may follow suit to renew border-crossing business activities that have come to a halt due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

“The governments of South Korea and China are in talks to operate a fast-track policy called ‘Green Lane’ to allow authorized businessmen from both countries to do business activities right away upon arrival,” Korean ambassador to China Jang Ha-sung said during a regular briefing at the Korean embassy in China.

“Business people who submit a medical certificate proving a negative COVID-19 test result will be exempt from quarantine and allowed to do their work immediately if they test negative again after a retest.”

The fast-track will be established with 10 Chinese cities, but the local governments in China will clarify exact regions after arranging a specific plan, he said. “China’s economic stimulus measures after COVID-19 will present opportunities to Korean companies,” he said, adding that he plans to hold a Korea-China network event in Hubei Province as soon as the outbreak fully abates.

Source: Pulse News Korea

3

More airlines announced their international flight plan

China Southern Airlines has strengthened its efforts on the prevention and control of the novel coronavirus, demanding all the facilities inside the cabin to be disinfected after flight. (Photo by Pu Xiaoxu/Xinhua)

Chinese carriers will still follow strict flying policies in June as more airlines announced their international flight plan.

China Southern will fly a total of 20 overseas routes per week, including 16 routes from Guangzhou, two flying from Shenyang, one from Urumqi, and one from Shanghai, according to a note posted on its website on Monday.

Among the 20 routes, most go to Southeast Asia with seven routes connecting to Cambodia, Malaysia and Thailand. It still has three flights to Europe including Amsterdam in the Netherlands, Paris in France and London in the UK. In North America, it has Guangzhou to Los Angeles in the US and Guangzhou to Vancouver in Canada.

The arrangement is the same with the one in May, with the addition of a route from Shanghai to Taipei in June.

Xiamen Airlines still flies eight overseas routes from Xiamen in East China's Fujian Province, going to Los Angeles, Vancouver, Amsterdam, Sydney, Seoul, Phnom Penh, Manila and Tokyo. 

China's government launched its "Five One" policy at the end of March in a bid to curb the COVID-19 crisis, allowing one airline to serve one country, from one Chinese city to one foreign city, with no more than one flight a week.

An insider from the air regulator, the Civil Aviation Administration of China, told the Global Times on Monday that it hasn't received any confirmation on the resumption of international flights.

However, there are overseas airlines that are anxious to see more international routes allowed into China. 

Delta Air Lines said it also hopes to resume daily passenger flights from Seattle and Detroit to Shanghai in June, which is still pending approval from the Chinese government.

Delta's daily flights in June increased by about 100 compared to May, including flights from the Atlanta Airlines Hub and New York 's JFK International Airport to Florida.

South Korea's Asiana Airlines reportedly plans to resume 12 routes to China. Fortune reported earlier this month that United Airlines is planning a strong return to China in June and will "pencil in" a relaunch of passenger services with four flights to three cities - Beijing, Chengdu, and Shanghai.

Source: GLOBAL TIMES

4

How to apply for China visa under the entry ban? 

It's been more than two months since the National Immigration Administration announced measures to extend China visas of foreign nationals automatically for two months.

We've published an article on after the 2-month visa extension, what’s next?

Lately we got quite a lot inquiries about how to apply for China visa under the current entry ban. Though there haven't been clear regulations we've been helping our customers with application from both inside and outside of China.

The followiing are successful cases for your reference.

Case 1 

Applicant: Mr. E

Nationality: Spanish

Background:  

Mr. E's work visa expires on May 20th. The company he works for is in Shanghai and he is currently in Spain.

He completed the application for extension and submmited all materials online in April, and didn't need to provide original copies. The work permit has been successfully extended for 1 year. His residence permit is valid until May 2021, and he can enter the country with a valid residence permit until the border opens.

Expats with similar circumstances can apply for an extension online. Those whose residence permit has expired in recent months can apply for a business visa or travel visa with the local Chinese embassy after the extension of the work permit. After the  border opens, they can enter the country with a business visa or tourist visa, and then transfer to a new work permit.

Case 2

Applicant: Mr. M

Nationality: Netherland

Background: 

Mr. M is from the Netherlands, holding a mutiple entry business visa.

He entered China on Jan 29th, and was allowed a 30-day stay. Because of the automatic extension he can stay until April 29th, and he extended the visa by himself once, allowing stay till May 24th. Yesterday, we helped him convert to a S2 visa (personal affairs visa), successfully helped him get a 30-day stay.

If you have any questions about visa application, feel free to contact our visa specialist Lisa and leave a messege. (Work hour 10am~6pm)

Hope you find above information helpful.

If you have other questions about living in China, feel free to reach AnyHelper real-time Q&A system via our WeChat menu, our lovely volunteers are online from 9am-9pm everyday to help you!

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