Two trips with German executive passengers are travelling to China in the coming days. The easement of travel restrictions in China then marked as a move to pressure foreign countries to impose the same allowances for international business travel.
The Chinese economy has allowed the resumption of business operations, and US trade groups, including Japanese executives, are looking forward to the opening. China has permitted chartered flights from eight countries into the territory. Still, the US is not among those authorised to do so.
Business executives from Germany, South Korea, Singapore, Italy, France, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland would be allowed entry into China. The information was provided by an insider who does not wish to be identified in public. The number of flights permitted entry was also note revealed.
For the last two months, China has been allowing business executives to travel into the country for once a week. The allowance was by the "Five-One" policy that also allows limited external flights of domestic carriers into the country.
US airline companies, on the other hand, remains restricted from these easements. The country also stopped allowing flights to China when the policy was introduced. British Airways PLC and Lufthansa AG also declined to ease travel restrictions to China.
On the other hand, the Civil Aviation Administration of China currently allowed foreign and domestic airlines to seek 'green channels' to be allowed entry into China.
Last week, the US Transportation Department (DOT) claimed that Beijing has been blocking American carriers from resuming their business operations. The US claimed that this accounts for a violation of the bilateral agreement. The said violation was also due to omission of responding to requests for passenger flights into China by US airline company Air Lines Inc. and United Airlines Holdings Inc.
The DOT then imposed a rule that Chinese airlines must provide information about their US flight schedules and proposed changes to their business operations. China has since then been building its domestic capacity in the travel industry by easing travel restrictions within its borders.
The OAG Aviation Worldwide Ltd. then revealed that about 98 percent of flights from China have resumed. At the same time, the rest of its operations worldwide are currently disrupted by foreign lockdown measures.
China would only allow the re-entry of employees who are deemed 'essential' for business operations into China. They must secure a Chinese visa before entry is permitted. Furthermore, they would be required to undergo health safety protocols imposed in airports.
