Ahead of the Congress, China is Locked Down with a Population Equal to France... Air Routes Also Blocked for Half a Year

China's International Flights Drop from 2,600 to 100 Daily After April Lockdown
Recovery Still Distant

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Kim Hyunjung] The skies of China, which claims to be the largest economic power in Asia, have remained disconnected from the global community for half a year. Ahead of the party congress that will confirm President Xi Jinping's third term, China continues to maintain a strict zero-COVID policy, focusing on prevention and control.

On the 6th (local time), Bloomberg cited data from flight information provider VariFlight, reporting that China's international flights have barely recovered since the large-scale lockdown in April. Flights that numbered over 2,600 per day before 2020 have recently been limited to about 100.

Demand for travel to and from China for reasons such as returning home, business, or livelihood is turning to "charter flights." In fact, major countries are responding by operating charter flights. The American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai plans to operate a charter flight from Los Angeles to Hangzhou at the end of this month to provide for quarantined U.S. citizens.

In protest against China's zero-COVID policy, some have even suspended flights operated by Chinese airlines. The U.S. Department of Transportation criticized China's policies following positive COVID-19 tests as unreasonable and suspended 26 flights by Chinese airlines this month. Air China, China Eastern Airlines, and China Southern Airlines were among those affected.

Germany arranged eight charter flights between May and September, and the French and Swiss embassies also cooperated for charter flights. The French Chamber of Commerce in China stated last month, "Maintaining flights from France to China is essential for the French business community in China."

Signs of some improvement have appeared. Bidirectional flights between the UK and China resumed after 20 months. However, flight attendants are reluctant to board flights to China, causing scheduling and staffing issues within the UK.

Meanwhile, China is focusing not only on international control but also on domestic restrictions. According to Chinese economic media Caixin, ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, China locked down 33 cities, restricting the movement of about 65 million people. This number is comparable to the population of France.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.