During the global outbreak of the New Coronavirus, countries have been blocked from travel, and the airline and tourism industries have been devastated. In an effort to boost the economy and restore international travel, China recently launched the world’s first “New Coronavirus Passport. However, this move has raised concerns among health experts and human rights groups.
China’s vaccine diplomacy has made its way to the International Olympic Committee just as the world is scrambling to buy vaccines. China will provide vaccines to participants in the Tokyo and Beijing Winter Olympic Games, and it has also launched a mechanism for mutual recognition of international health codes, among other things, in an effort to raise China’s profile.
Chinese version of “vaccine passport” launched on WeChat
Meanwhile, on March 8, the world’s first “New Crown Vaccine Passport” was officially launched on WeChat. This Chinese version of the “International Travel Health Certificate” (also known as “Vaccine Health Code International”) program can display the holder’s nucleic acid and serum IgG antibody test results and vaccination status, etc., and can be downloaded by users on WeChat.
It is worth noting that the system is set up so that returnees need to fill in information such as place of residence and unit abroad, nucleic acid test and vaccination in order to obtain the health code required for returning to China. The relevant Chinese embassies and consulates may also require additional documents from the person concerned. Expatriates, on the other hand, only need to authenticate their identity and will automatically receive a report of their testing records.
Mr. Liu, a Chinese media personality who declined to give his full name for security reasons, joked that the program is similar to a continuation of the “health QR code” already introduced in China.
“Now you have to scan the health code everywhere you go, even in a cab. China’s Epidemic prevention is ultimately based on mandatory quarantine and tight track tracking. An international health code would likely mean that a threat index would be assessed for people entering the country based on foreign outbreaks.”
WeChat, along with other Chinese mobile programs, previously introduced epidemic prevention QR codes used to automatically track users’ activity trajectories, showing their health status in green, yellow or red. Folk must accept the code for verification before they can use public transportation or enter public places. The system has subsequently been criticized for violating personal privacy and expanding official surveillance of the population.
In an interview with our reporter, Chinese lawyer Peng Yongfeng lamented that the Chinese government never respects people’s personal information and privacy leakage issues. The outbreak of the new crown epidemic gives the authorities enough reason to impose tighter controls.
“The Chinese regime is essentially a parasitic regime with an omnipresent control system, which will control everything at every possible moment. It doesn’t matter where you are or where you are from.”
China to introduce mutual recognition of vaccines?
Chinese State Councilor Foreign Minister Wang Yi told a press conference of foreign ministers at the “two sessions” earlier that the introduction of health certificates would provide a “practical Chinese solution” for the world’s economic recovery and the facilitation of cross-border movement of people.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian also said on Monday that “China is willing to explore with other countries to establish a mechanism for mutual recognition of health code information” and “actively promote the construction of a new order of healthy, safe and orderly movement of people”.
Mr. Liu analyzed that the system, which claims to help achieve safe international movement, seems more like the authorities are motivated by their own epidemic prevention considerations at a Time when all new confirmed cases in China are imported from abroad.
“China’s vaccine is not effective, so this year we have to continue last year’s strict epidemic prevention model, and the international health code is to monitor overseas imports and reduce domestic epidemic prevention costs.”
WHO warns that “vaccine passports” are not feasible
The use of international travel health certificates is still based on voluntary principles and is also only available to Chinese citizens. However, CNBC reported earlier that the U.S., the U.K. and the European Union are considering offering digital passports for those who have received the new crown vaccine. The news sparked opposition from the World Health Organization (WHO).
The report mentioned that WHO officials had issued a statement in late January this year stressing that governments “should not require vaccination or proof of immunization as a condition of entry” at this time.
Hans Kluge, director of the WHO Regional Office for Europe, recently told the English version of Chinese official media Xinhua that vaccination can prevent serious illnesses in newly crowned patients, but not necessarily prevent patients from transmitting the virus to others, and it is not clear how long immunity lasts after vaccination, so a “vaccine passport” is not recommended. Therefore, it is not recommended that a “vaccine passport” be introduced.
A recent Associated Press report quoted WHO emergency chief Mike Ryan as calling for further inequality and inequity by making travel conditional on whether vaccination is available before everyone has equitable access to vaccines.
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