China will stop testing for the presence of the coronavirus on certain imported products, the health ministry has announced, as the government struggles to balance prevention with fears of an economic downturn.
The Asian giant, in particular in order to preserve its elderly population, applies a strict health policy and, since 2020, has been carrying out surveys on goods arriving from abroad, the outer packaging of which is also disinfected.
The authorities have sometimes attributed the responsibility for certain epidemic resurgences in China to these imported products.
These time-consuming tests and disinfections occasionally create bottlenecks. Thousands of tons of tropical fruits had, for example, been stuck at the border on the Vietnamese side, the drivers waiting for authorization to enter Chinese soil.
Non-refrigerated and non-frozen products, such as coal, minerals, foodstuffs or animal feed can now enter China without being tested, the Ministry of Health said on Tuesday.
“High risk” goods will continue to be disinfected, however, he noted.
The ministry indicates that this decision aims to “ensure the stability of industrial and supply chains”, stressing that in any case, “at room temperature, the coronavirus can only survive for a short time on the surface of most objects. “.
Chilled and frozen products will continue to be tested.
China has applied a zero-COVID policy since 2020, which consists of avoiding the occurrence of new cases as much as possible through targeted confinements, the placement in quarantine of people who test positive and the tracking of movements.
But this health strategy is helping to slow the economy, with supply chains regularly disrupted, businesses closing, consumption falling and more layoffs.