S1E13: China relaxes pandemic travel curbs but this does not feel like a new phase: Letter From The Bureau

  • 1 Jul 2022

Synopsis: Every first Friday of the month, The Straits Times' foreign editor Bhagyashree Garekar chats with ST’s correspondents in the Asia-Pacific, the US and Europe.

They talk about life as it goes on, amid the screaming headlines and bubbling crises.

In this episode, she chats with ST's China correspondent Elizabeth Law. 

China, which has maintained some of the world's strictest entry requirements, eased its quarantine policy for international arrivals in late June, 2022. 

It was the most significant relaxation of curbs since the Covid-19 pandemic began, but does it mean Beijing is ready to be more tolerant of the virus?

Highlights (click/tap above):

2:15 Elizabeth Law on recovering from Covid in a Shanghai hospital

4:13 Motivation behind China's decision to cut quarantine for international travellers; a big change from China’s Covid-zero approach?

9:17 Does living with the virus mean “lying flat”, the translation of the Chinese phrase "tang ping"?

12:59 What is “strategic disobedience”?

16:23 In a politically important year, will the Shanghai and Beijing leaders be impacted by the way they handled the Covid outbreak?

Read Elizabeth Law’s article here: https://str.sg/wL8G

Produced by: Bhagyashree Garekar (bhagya@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis, Teo Tong Kai

Edited by: Teo Tong Kai 

Follow Letter From The Bureau Podcast every first Friday of the month on our Asian Insider Podcast channel here:

Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8

Google Podcasts: https://str.sg/wQsB 

Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX

SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/

Websites: 

https://www.moneyfm893.sg/

http://str.sg/stpodcasts

Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg

Read Bhagyashree Garekar’s articles: https://str.sg/whNo

Read Elizabeth Law’s articles: https://str.sg/wL8c

Follow Elizabeth Law on Twitter: https://str.sg/wL8p

Read ST's Letters From The Bureau: https://str.sg/3xRd

Register for Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/stnewsletters

---

Discover ST's special edition podcasts:

Singapore's War On Covid: https://str.sg/wuJa

The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia: https://str.sg/wuZ2

Stop Scams: https://str.sg/wuZB

Invisible Asia: https://str.sg/wuZn

---

Discover more ST podcast series:

Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7

Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf

Health Check: https://str.sg/JWaN

In Your Opinion: https://str.sg/w7Qt

Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m

SG Extra: https://str.sg/wukR

#PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad

ST Sports Talk: https://str.sg/JWRE

Bookmark This!: https://str.sg/JWas

Lunch With Sumiko: https://str.sg/J6hQ

Discover ST Podcasts: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

Discover BT Podcasts: https://bt.sg/pcPL

Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts!

#STAsianInsider

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.