By Canadian Press

China pushes back on air-travel test requirements, but Canadian firms not worried

Jan 3, 2023 | 10:36 AM

OTTAWA — The Chinese government is unhappy that Canada and other countries are creating new COVID-19 restrictions for people flying from China, but business groups say the policy won’t impact trade.

China has had some of the strictest COVID-19 rules on the planet, including mandatory isolation for anyone coming from abroad and almost daily testing for citizens.

Beijing lifted many of these policies last month, sparking a wave of COVID-19 that American officials worry could lead to a more severe variant.

Starting Thursday, Canada will require air travellers from China to have a recent negative test, similar to the U.S. and some European countries.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman says those rules are based on politics instead of science, and that some policies are “disproportionate and simply unacceptable.”

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But the head of the Canada China Business Council says Ottawa’s policy change likely won’t affect trade, since flights between the countries have been sparse and people in China are used to doing frequent COVID-19 tests.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 3, 2023.

The Canadian Press