The measures were jointly approved on December 16 by the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA) and the Bishops' Conference of the Catholic Church in China (BCCCC), both of which operate under the supervision of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The rules require centralised custody
Although the previous advisory also listed mainland China as a "Level 3: Reconsider Travel" destination, it was due to the risk of "arbitrary enforcement of local laws".
"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 sai