Month: December 2022

The French government said passengers flying from China to France would have to present a negative Covid test less than 48 hours old before embarking.

Arrivals in Spain can skip the tests if they are fully vaccinated – and Spain does accept some Chinese vaccines.

Beijing has said it will fully reopen its borders next week for the first time since March 2020.

Its current Covid surge has caused wariness, with reports of hospitals filling up and waves of illness.

The UK, South Korea and Israel also announced new testing rules on Friday, while the US and India have already imposed restrictions.

“At the national level, we will implement controls at airports and require travellers from China to present a negative Covid test or be fully vaccinated,” said Spanish health minister Carolina Darias.

Neither France nor Spain have specified when the measures will come into force.

However, the French health and transport ministries said the government would publish a decree and notify EU member states.

On Thursday, the EU’s disease prevention agency has said such measures were not justified in Europe, because of the levels of immunity and the fact that variants spreading in China were already present on the continent.

The World Health Organization, however, has said it was “understandable” that some countries had decided to impose restrictions and urged Beijing to be more forthcoming about its Covid numbers.

China’s foreign ministry said earlier this week that its “epidemic situation” overall was “predictable and under control”.

But the true toll of daily cases and deaths in China is unknown as officials have stopped requiring cases to be reported, and changed classifications for Covid deaths.

South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said that travellers from China would need to have a negative PCR or antigen test before boarding flights to South Korea.

They will also need to undergo a PCR test within the first day of their arrival in South Korea.

Israel, meanwhile, has ordered foreign airlines not to allow people to travel from China unless they have tested negative – and asked its own citizens to avoid unnecessary travel there.

Not all countries have announced controls. Germany has joined Australia, France, and Portugal in saying there will be no new rules yet.

However, Germany’s health minister has said the country is seeking a co-ordinated system to monitor variants across European airports.

China’s decision this week to reopen its borders on 8 January marks the last stage of the country’s controversial zero-Covid policy, which President Xi Jinping had personally endorsed.

As the rest of the world transitioned to living with the virus, Beijing maintained an eradication policy involving mass testing and stringent lockdown.

In November, the frustration spilled on to the streets in rare protests against Mr Xi and his government. A week later, Beijing began to roll back the restrictions.

This latest volley comes five days after North Korea flew drones into South Korea’s airspace for the first time since 2017.

North Korea has launched more missiles this year than ever before.

Washington said the latest missile launches do not pose an immediate threat to the US or its allies.

The three short-range ballistic missiles were fired from around 08:00 local time (23:00 GMT) from North Hwanghae Province, south of the capital Pyongyang, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

“North Korea’s ballistic missile(s) launch is a grave provocation that undermines peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula as well as the international community,” they added.

The missiles flew about 350 km (217 miles), the South Korean military said.

Japan’s coastguard earlier said one missile had fallen into the sea.

South Korea’s military this week apologised for failing to shoot down five drones that North Korea flew across their mutual border.

Seoul fired warning shots and sent jets and attack helicopters to shoot down the aircraft, one of which flew close to the capital.

Earlier this month, the US and its Asian allies imposed sanctions on three senior North Korean officials associated with the country’s recent missile tests.

Relations between North and South Korea have deteriorated since South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s conservative government took office in May, promising a tougher stance towards Pyongyang.

North Korea has become more assertive under Kim Jong-un who has overseen much of the recent development of its weapons programme.

He recently said he wanted his country to have the world’s most powerful nuclear force and declared it an “irreversible” nuclear state.

The prime minister said the government was taking “difficult but fair” decisions to “get borrowing and debt under control”.

He promised that his government would put “people’s priorities first”.

He also said the coronation of King Charles III would give the country the chance to “come together with pride”.

Mr Sunak became prime minister towards the end of a turbulent political year which saw his two predecessors – Boris Johnson and Liz Truss – brought down by Conservative backbenchers.

In the coming year, the new prime minister faces the challenge of keeping his own MPs happy, while dealing with the rising cost of living and strikes in several sectors, including nursing and the rail industry.

Mr Sunak acknowledged the past year had not been easy: “Just as we recovered from an unprecedented global pandemic, Russia launched a barbaric and illegal invasion across Ukraine.”

He said the war had created a “profound economic impact” which had affected people in the UK, and he promised to help the “most vulnerable” with their energy costs.

He also said he had taken decisive action to reduce the backlog in the NHS, and was tackling illegal migration.

“I’m not going to pretend that all our problems will go away in the new year,” said Mr Sunak, but added that “the very best of Britain” would be on display as it continues to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia.

Labour leader Keir Starmer used his New Year’s message to promise that his party would set out the “case for change” in 2023.

Over the past year, Labour’s poll ratings have risen, giving the party a consistent lead over the Conservatives.

This means Sir Keir is likely to face greater scrutiny over what he would do if he were to become prime minister.

The next general election has to be held by January 2025, but it could be sooner if Mr Sunak decides to go to the polls early.

Reflecting on the past year, Sir Keir acknowledged that 2022 had been “very tough” for millions across the country.

He also paid tribute to Ukraine for “showing so much bravery fighting for their liberty” and said the UK should “once again stand by” the Ukrainian people.

Turning to the year ahead, the Labour leader said Britain needed to become a “fairer, greener, more dynamic country and that he wanted to “restore faith in politics as a force for good”.

“For that to happen,” he said, “we need a completely new way of doing politics.”

He said his party would use the year ahead to “set out the case for change, the case for a new Britain, the case for hope”.

In her New Year’s message, First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, promised to “keep doing everything we can for those who need it most”.

She also said her government would “work hard to reap the massive economic benefits of our efforts to tackle climate change”.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey also used his New Year message to reflect on the past year, celebrating the “wonderful jubilee street parties”, the Lionesses winning the Euros and “another fantastic by-election victory for the Liberal Democrats!”.

In June, his party won the previously safe Conservative seat of Tiverton and Honiton in Devon, which became vacant after Tory MP Neil Parish resigned for looking at pornography in Parliament.

Sir Ed also attacked Vladimir Putin’s “appalling war”, and the Conservative government for “inflicting economic chaos on the rest of us”.

“The New Year is an opportunity to turn the page and look ahead, and although things are tough for millions, I sense change is possible – so I look to the New Year with hope and optimism.

“So for 2023, I wish you and your family all the best. Let’s hope it’s a year of fresh starts – in more ways than one.”