China says COVID-19 situation under control

ANKARA (AA) - China on Friday said the COVID-19 situation in the country is under control and many European Union member states welcome Chinese travelers.

In response to the EU member states’ recommendations of travel restrictions on travelers from China, Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Mao Ning said the EU should listen to rational voices and view China’s epidemic in an objective manner, according to state-run Global Times.

Reacting to travel restrictions on Chinese citizens by several countries, Mao on Thursday said all countries’ response measures to COVID-19 should be based on science and facts and be proportionate.

"There should be no attempts to politicize the issue or adopt discriminatory practices to affect normal people-to-people exchange," Mao told reporters.

She added that Chinese experts also attended an online briefing of the World Health Organization (WHO) members to provide a further update on the COVID-19 epidemic.

A day earlier, WHO said that according to the data of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, no new COVID-19 variants have been detected in China.

However, on Wednesday, the EU member states agreed on a "coordinated precautionary approach" against a recent spike in coronavirus infections in China, recommending asking travelers from the country for negative COVID tests.

Several countries, including the US, Italy, Malaysia, Spain, Morocco, Qatar, Canada, South Korea, and Taiwan, announced requiring negative COVID-19 tests from travelers coming from China.

The steps are in contrast to Beijing’s decision to scrap mandatory quarantine for all visitors starting Jan. 8.

China faced an explosive spike in infections after dumping its strict “zero-COVID" policy last month, following unrest and unprecedented protests in parts of the country.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid