China calls covid restrictions on its travellers 'political'

Beijing [China], January 3 (ANI): Beijing on Tuesday accused a few countries of imposing COVID-19 entry restrictions targetting China despite a dearth of scientific basis and such measures are being taken "for political purposes".
"Some of these measures are disproportionate and simply unacceptable. We firmly reject using COVID measures for political purposes and will take corresponding measures in response to varying situations based on the principle of reciprocity," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said during a regular press conference on January 3.
Mao was quoted by the Chinese Foreign Ministry on its website. The Chinese spokesperson also stated the entry restriction measures some countries have taken against China are not "science-based."
Last week, Australia and Canada joined a long list of countries that imposed mandatory Covid testing for travellers from China amid a "rapidly developing situation" in the country.
Australian Health Minister Mark Butler said the nation has decided to follow the position of countries across Asia, North America and Europe to introduce measures amid the "absence of comprehensive information about the situation in China", The Australian newspaper reported.
"The broad consensus among all of the jurisdiction's chief health officers is there is no immediate public health threat to Australians," he was quoted as saying by The Australian newspaper.
The report added that mandatory pre-departure Covid testing for those travelling from China will begin on January 5.
This development comes shortly after Canada became the latest country to join the list of countries that have made the Covid-19 test mandatory for flyers coming from mainland China due to a surge in coronavirus infections after the country rolled back its stringent "zero-Covid" policy.
The Canadian government announced that this new requirement will come into effect on January 5, at which point travellers aged two and older will need to provide proof of a negative test before leaving for Canada, Canadian-based Television Network CTV reported.
On Friday, both France and the United Kingdom announced that passengers arriving from China will be required to present negative COVID-19 test results beginning the first week of January.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that starting from January 5, the United States would require international travellers coming from China to test negative for COVID-19 before entering the country.
Italy, Spain, and several other countries have also introduced precautionary measures amid a surge in coronavirus cases in China, where harsh COVID-19 restrictions were eased at the start of December.
Notably, India also made the RT-PCR test mandatory for passengers from five countries including China. (ANI)