Steps to restrict Chinese citizens’ entry caused by Russia’s national interests - diplomat

BEIJING, February 19. /TASS/. Restrictions regarding entry for Chinese nationals imposed by Russia are temporary and stem from its national interests, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang told reporters at a press briefing on Wednesday. "Russia informed China [about its decision] in advance through diplomatic channels. Russia is confident that China will win the battle against the epidemic, and it also expressed its strong support for China. Because of the need to ensure national interests and combat the spread of the disease, restrictive measures have been taken, which do not provide for a complete travel ban, but are temporary initiatives that will be adjusted or even cancelled as soon as the situation improves," the diplomat said. He also pointed out that Russia would take a number of measures, such as distance education, "in relation to certain groups affected by restrictions, in particular, students who cannot return to Russia to make sure that this situation does not affect the total volume of academic programs." "Russia and China are the largest neighbors. We pay considerable attention to the range of measures taken by Russia in the fight against the epidemic. We also note that Russia has repeatedly expressed its support for China and provided substantial assistance to us. We hope that the international community, including Russia, will continue to support [us], come up with the impartial assessment of the epidemic situation, take steps to ease restrictions as soon as possible to make sure that contacts and cooperation in various areas are not affected," the spokesperson stressed. The Secretariat of Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova earlier reported that Russia would temporarily suspend entry of Chinese citizens to its territory starting from February 20. The suspension will apply to individuals entering Russia for employment, private, educational and tourist purposes. The outbreak of the now-infamous novel coronavirus pneumonia was recorded in Wuhan, an economic and industrial metropolis with a population of 11 million, in late December 2019. The World Health Organization has declared it a public health emergency of international concern, describing it as an epidemic with multiple locations. Apart from China, 25 other countries, including Russia, have reported confirmed coronavirus cases. On Wednesday, the authorities confirmed that the number of people infected with the new coronavirus in China had passed 74,100. Of these, 2,004 were fatilities and more than 14,300 patients recovered. Read more