Australia has made great strides in mending relations with China, but China’s sudden about-face on COVID-19 presented the government with a curve ball: to test or not to test Chinese arrivals.
Australia’s initial decision a few days after Christmas was to watch the situation carefully, but not impose any restrictions even though the US, Italy, Japan, India and Taiwan had done so.
On the first day of the new year, however, the government changed its mind. Health Minister Mark Butler announced that travellers from China would be required to undertake a COVID test within 48 hours before travelling, citing the potential for new variants and the World Health Organization’s (WHO) concern about the transparency of data coming from China.
Was this decision discriminatory? Possibly. Some countries, such as India and Nigeria, also don’t provide much decent COVID data, yet arrivals from there won’t be tested. And if possible new variants are what the government is worried about, why not test arrivals from the US where a new Omicron variant is raging?
The Chinese government’s announcement that it would take countermeasures was based on its view that China had been singled out. So far, only Japan and Korea have borne the brunt of such a measure.
Is such discrimination justified? It depends on who you speak to.
It’s hard to gauge the response of all Chinese Australian communities, but there seems to be a general view that Australia’s decision was “understandable”. This view is reinforced by the Mandarin-speaking Chinese Australians in my WeChat groups.
As one Sydney-based lawyer said, given that the world was witnessing a “tsunami of infection of this magnitude and within such a short time … taking a cautious approach was beyond reproach”.
Another person in the same WeChat group agreed: “China has been imposing a strict and lengthy quarantine on all international arrivals for three years. They have no reason to cry foul over such a modest measure.”
Someone working in a hospital in Western Australia chimed in: “Our hospitals are already under so much pressure. We can’t afford to stretch our resources any further.” Quite a few people in these WeChat groups commented on Butler’s sensitively worded announcement, and observed that his overall message was friendly and welcoming to Chinese travellers.
Most travellers from China also seem to be understanding. They have endured multiple daily PCR tests for three years. National president of the Australia China Business Council David Olsson has said that while the COVID surge in China is a cause for concern for Australian businesses and the economy, Chinese travellers were mostly delighted that they could travel freely overseas. Testing may be a small inconvenience, but it was not a deal breaker.
Although chief medical officer Paul Kelly openly disagreed with the government, and his colleague Fiona Russell said the measure was discriminatory, they don’t seem to have the unanimous support of all the health experts.
When asked to comment on the government’s decision to ignore advice from the medical experts, Jane Halton, chair of the global Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and professor of health security at ANU, said: “Well, I think we need to understand that there is more in the world than just medical advice.” One thing to take into account, according to epidemiologist Robert Booy, is the sheer scale of infection in China.
Yingjie Guo, a political scientist and professor of China studies at Sydney University, believes the government’s decision may have been political, based on a simple cost-benefit calculus.
“More than anything else, it’s probably meant to appease Australian voters at a time when there appears to be an internationally concerted responses and when the unknown, due in part to the Chinese government’s lack of transparency, seems to pose a threat,” Guo said. “After all, it’s easier to go with the flow than against it.”
Guo presumed the government had decided there was more to gain than lose by requiring testing.
The response from the Coalition seems to have been clearly politically motivated. Liberal Leader Peter Dutton demanded an explanation for why Kelly’s advice was ignored, and said: “Chinese Australians … need more certainty in their travel plans.”
The problem for the opposition is that it doesn’t really have much goodwill among Chinese Australians, so Dutton’s advocacy on their behalf seems disingenuous to many. This is particularly the case given that just a few days earlier, opposition spokesman on tourism Kevin Hogan had demanded that Labor explain why the government was not following some other countries in requiring tests of Chinese arrivals.
Similarly, criticising the government for not listening to health experts only jogged people’s memories of the Coalition’s dubious track record of not listening to health experts.
To be sure, we are talking here about a very specific — and some may even say minor — issue. But it is a “complex issue, with a variety of views”, in the words of one MP. And it is certainly one that tests the new government’s capacity to handle Australia-China relations carefully and delicately, and to juggle competing and conflicted group interests and points of view adroitly.
Was Mark Butler wrong to introduce tests for Chinese travellers entering Australia? Let us know by writing to letters@crikey.com.au. Please include your full name to be considered for publication. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity.
I disagree with the Federal Government on the decision to single out arrivals from China – if we are trying to avoid additional COVID infections coming in, then far more effective to test all arrivals.
But as a political move, it does seem more clever than at first glance. It neutralises a line of attack from the Opposition, making it almost impossible to be wedged due to the Opposition’s track record in the area. It also does something to pretend they care about fighting COVID, but obviously costs much less in money and inconvenience than testing everyone.
I’m sure the Government is happy to tie Dutton and co in knots, even if I would be much happier if they showed they genuinely cared about community health by focusing on prevention – as well as testing arrivals and mandating masks on air transport, a commitment to improve air quality would be sensible.
It is 100% political and racist. The same with South Korea in particular where Chinese nationals are greeted by the SK military at the airport, herded into a separate line, pcr tested (despite completing a pcr test before boarding), forced to wear a yellow card around their necks (shades of the yellow star the Jews were forced to wear) and placed in small cramped rooms with no hot water (a big deal for Chinese), seats or beds while they await their results (all at their cost I might add). Not a word in our media of course about this other than reporting any response from China reported as tit-for-tat.
Yet the Government vacated Djovics 3 year ban……..
What happens if one of these arrivals tests positive?
What happens if anyone arriving tests positive? Only Chinese people being singled out despite the spread of a new variant in the US, UK and EU.
That may be so, but I’d still like an answer.
AFAIK, NOTHING! They are simply an ill foreign visitor, to be charge a king’s ransom if they go to a public hospital, all to be covered by their travel insurance.
‘“If you are arriving from other destinations, you do not need to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test to meet Australia’s travel requirements.” So as with cricketers returning from India via third countries when morrison banned citizens returning from India – racist too – all the Chinese need to do is come via a third country!”
Worst about this racist political decision is that it underlines the inability of today’s mainstream celebrity retail politicians to pay attention to the issues that matter. Covid is still a serious problem – nearly 300 people died of it last week – yet their approach is “let us die”. Cheaper.
So what when another variant comes? Our politicians will do nothing!
Find a photo of any politician now wearing a mask. “Personal responsibility” is only for us; it is the customary excuse for our governing class to focus on lining their mates’ pockets.
The Coalition ministers were [rightly] judged harshly for letting teh Ruby Princess cruise boat disgorge a load of infected people, thus making the covid pandemic worse than it need have been. IN my opinion, Butler is politically right to avoid teh infamy of a flight from China disgorging a big bunch of infected people from China.
Perhaps he could make use of the quarantine facilities that have been converted to gaols for asylum seekers, and set the latter free at teh same time. Win-win!
Reading some Korean media, I suspect it’s just as much a wicked and self inflicted problem for Xi (he seems to be pretty good at that) the Koreans seem offended and they appear to have long memories. I suspect some other countries may have not dissimilar reactions. Might have been a bit more wise for Xi to just let the various countries do their thing for a while. We all tire of shouty pushy types and look for ways to avoid them. Catches up with us eventually, same for leaders.
Actually it’s just the nasty South Korean Government imitating Scummo. China is, by far, SK’s largest trading partner. It is 100%political and driven by the current overlords of both Japan and SK ie The US.
Seems it is an issue that spans more than one of their administration’s .
https://www.eai.or.kr/new/en/etc/search_view.asp?intSeq=21547&board=eng_eaiinmedia
“The proportion of South Koreans who view China positively fell from 22.2 percent in 2019 to 11.8 percent this year, while those with negative impressions mounted from 51.5 percent in 2019 to 70.3 percent this year, according to the survey……….. Among those who said they disliked China in the EAI survey, the largest proportion — 31.5 percent — said that their negative impression of China was influenced by the country’s use of coercive policies against South Korea.”
Seems to me the common thread is it goes back to Xi ( he has been in charge in this period of time). To me, he is looking like just another stubborn old man, past his best. But that’s my impression. He might have a harder time getting “correct thought” out of his proud neighbours than what he has come to expect within his own party. Bit like Scummo in a way.
Anyway that’s just my take.
Nothing to do with Xi. Strange how the only countries in Asia doing this are either US controlled or supported. The rest of Asia have welcomed Chinese citizens.
“Coercive policies”? Exactly the same policies as the US applies to any country that displeases them yet it is never called out as such. Racist much but I expect that from the West.
Given it is a Korean survey, and seeing they are also of Han origin, might need to find another term besides racist.
Whatever the Koreans are, they are not mere puppets who have to be told what to think.
But perhaps you know them better than they know themselves.
SK is just like Australia, a US vassal state.