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China has closed its border to prevent cases imported from Russia. Russians are now worried about a rise in infections from stranded Chinese travelers.
Suifenhe is a county-level city located at the eastern end of China’s 4,300-kilometer-long border with Russia. It’s 2,000 kilometers from Wuhan, where the COVID-19 crisis began late last year, and until recently, the outbreak may seem simply distant.
Locally, Suifenhe is best known for a series of increasingly extravagant national gates at its land port, designed to take advantage of China’s progress in recent decades, in the face of Russia’s simultaneous decline. However, due to the existing pandemic, this land port has become a collective quarantine site for 1,479 Chinese nationals.
This is the result of the hasty return of Chinese citizens domiciled in Russia, which has seen Suifenhe update Wuhan as the new focal point of China’s internal struggle to confront COVID-19. backed by China the city’s land port. Of those, 377 have been diagnosed with COVID-19, of which 27 are designated as “asymptomatic” cases in Chinese terminology.
Most of those Chinese nationals left Moscow by plane, passing through Vladivostok on their way to Pogranichny, which borders Suifenhe. The exact source of his urgency to leave Russia is unclear. According to a state-run newspaper, Chinese businessmen have spread rumors about the Internet, encouraging their compatriots in Moscow to flee the country. Most likely, they see China as a safer option than Russia to triumph over the crisis.
It was a dangerous journey. It’s a nine-hour flight to Vladivostok followed by a two-hour flight to Pogranichny, all in tight public spaces. Those who placed the order were aware of the risk, but that wasn’t enough to discourage them. The exodus of Chinese citizens from Moscow has been so remarkable that rumors have circulated that Russia will expel all Chinese citizens from the country.
The scenario puts the Chinese government in a tricky position. In the first week of April 2020, Beijing allowed large numbers of those citizens to enter Suifenhe, triggering what some feared would be a second wave of cases. With a population of less than 80,000 in the city, those imported instances temporarily overwhelmed local public health resources.
As a result, on April 7, China felt it still had no choice to close the border, thus excluding its own citizens in an effort to buy more time. Suifenhe’s hospital formula was on the verge of collapse, and with the isolation hotels already all occupied. , Beijing feared an outbreak in the city would derail national containment efforts.
However, by leaving many Chinese citizens stranded across the border, China risks spreading the virus to communities in Russia’s Far East. Even Chinese state media reported that the two countries gave the impression of disagreeing over the final definition of the border.
In an effort to ease tensions, the Chinese consul general in Vladivostok personally wrote a letter to all Chinese citizens in Russia, apologizing to those left in the Primorsky Krai region on the border with Suifenhe. He suggested that they not make the eastward adventure from Moscow and implored those already there to remain in quarantine and avoid attempting to cross the border.
Ironically, on April 11, just days after the closure of the Chinese border, Beijing seized the opportunity to help Russia. An organization of Chinese medical specialists flew from Heilongjiang province to Moscow, carrying several tons of masks and medical devices. Designed to distract national attention from Suifenhe, this move had an unforeseen consequence. That has led Russian citizens to criticize their own leaders, who last month sent an army convoy with medical devices to Italy as they desperately needed help from China.
The Chinese shipment was adorned with the words of Russian poet Alexander Pushkin: “Bсё мгновенно, всё пройдет,” which translates as “Everything is ephemeral, everything will pass. ” The other inhabitants of the Primorsky Territory would probably not be so optimistic. Without a fancy infectious disease clinic, your region is woefully ill-prepared to deal with COVID-19. The government hopes to use an unfinished hospital in Vladivostok to meet this need, but first they will have to wait for the mandatory budget from the central government. Moscow Government. The entire procedure may also take only a year and a half.
By then, it may already be too little, too late. As of May 2, Primorsky Krai had reported only 455 cases of COVID-19. As with the total number of coronavirus cases shown in Russia, as of May 5, more than 155,000 cases and 1,451 deaths: this figure is strangely low. This fuels a well-founded cynicism that the real number of cases is much higher and that an imminent health crisis awaits the region.
Before the border was closed, Oleg Kozhemyako, governor of Primorsky Krai, suggested to Russian President Vladimir Putin that he ban all Chinese citizens from taking domestic transit flights via Vladivostok. His warning was ignored. Kozhemyako now fears for the Russians who arrived along with their Chinese counterparts, as well as Chinese citizens stranded in the region. He admits anxiously, “People are just scared. . . We now expect an accumulation of the number of coronavirus patients in the region. “
Beijing will have to ask itself why Kozhemyako’s request was rejected. Moscow’s resolve to allow Chinese citizens to break lockdown rules, pass through the airport and even board domestic flights is baffling. This has greatly increased the risk of an outbreak in Russia and China.
Russia’s internal turmoil, however, has not tarnished Beijing’s ability to introduce drastic measures in Suifenhe. Days after the border closed, a makeshift 600-bed hospital was built in a remodeled workplace building and six more buildings were designated to isolate and practice potential COVID cases. -19 patients. The local government has temporarily assembled a team of 800 volunteers to help the 400 new medical workers who will be stationed in the city. China is preparing for the worst.
All citizens returning to Suifenhe will also have to go through a 28-day quarantine. Similar to Wuhan, must-run errands can now only be done through a family member every 3 days. The Chinese government even gives a reward of 5,000 RMB ($700) to locals who report illegal border crossings. Beijing’s draconian reaction prompted Chinese netizens to refer to Suifenhe as “little Wuhan. “Unlike Moscow, Beijing is not taking any risks.
The difference between China and Russia’s efforts to ease the growing tension on their borders is telling. Primorsky’s leadership gave the impression of being defeatist, passively waiting and accepting its fate. Heilongjiang, on the other hand, has been decisive, even if to the detriment of its population across the border. This illustrates what analysts describe as an asymmetric and unequal force dynamic between China and Russia.
The backdrop to the tense negotiations on reopening the border is the land port of Suifenhe. Inside is a glass-bottomed national gate, which dominates the small customs status quo of Pogranichny, next door. In normal times, this literally gives Chinese visitors the opportunity to despise Russia. This will be the first thing they will see when, despite everything, they return to their home country.
The fate of those vulnerable citizens and communities in Russia’s Far East now depends on the ability of the two countries to jointly manage the reopening of the border. As tensions rise in Primorsky, the country may not respond to Beijing’s efforts to buy more Suifenhe. However, a solution that benefits both parties equally is equally unlikely.
Ankur Shah is a British Indian specializing in China and Russia. He has written for The Economist, Foreign Policy, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
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Suifenhe is a county-level city located at the eastern end of China’s 4,300-kilometer-long border with Russia. It’s 2,000 kilometers from Wuhan, where the COVID-19 crisis began late last year, and until recently, the outbreak may seem simply distant.
Locally, Suifenhe is best known for a series of increasingly extravagant national gates at its land port, designed to take advantage of China’s progress in recent decades, in the face of Russia’s simultaneous decline. However, due to the existing pandemic, this land port has become a collective quarantine site for 1,479 Chinese nationals.
This is the result of the hasty return of Chinese citizens domiciled in Russia, which has seen Suifenhe update Wuhan as the new focal point of China’s internal struggle to confront COVID-19. backed by China the city’s land port. Of those, 377 have been diagnosed with COVID-19, of which 27 are designated as “asymptomatic” cases in Chinese terminology.
Most of those Chinese nationals left Moscow by plane, passing through Vladivostok on their way to Pogranichny, which borders Suifenhe. The exact source of his urgency to leave Russia is unclear. According to a state-run newspaper, Chinese businessmen have spread rumors about the Internet, encouraging their compatriots in Moscow to flee the country. Most likely, they see China as a safer option than Russia to triumph over the crisis.
It was a dangerous journey. It’s a nine-hour flight to Vladivostok followed by a two-hour flight to Pogranichny, all in tight public spaces. Those who placed the order were aware of the risk, but that wasn’t enough to discourage them. The exodus of Chinese citizens from Moscow has been so remarkable that rumors have circulated that Russia will expel all Chinese citizens from the country.
The scenario puts the Chinese government in a tricky position. In the first week of April 2020, Beijing allowed large numbers of those citizens to enter Suifenhe, triggering what some feared would be a second wave of cases. With a population of less than 80,000 in the city, those imported instances temporarily overwhelmed local public health resources.
As a result, on April 7, China felt it still had no other option to close the border, thus excluding its own citizens in an effort to buy more time. Suifenhe’s hospital formula was on the verge of collapse, and with the isolation hotels already all occupied. , Beijing feared that an outbreak in the city would derail national containment efforts.
However, by leaving many Chinese citizens stranded across the border, China risks spreading the virus to communities in Russia’s Far East. Even Chinese state media reported that the two countries gave the impression of disagreeing over the final border.
In an effort to ease tensions, the Chinese consul general in Vladivostok personally wrote a letter to all Chinese citizens in Russia, apologizing to those left in the Primorsky Krai region on the border with Suifenhe. He suggested that they not make the eastward adventure from Moscow and implored those already there to remain in quarantine and avoid attempting to cross the border.
Ironically, on April 11, just days after the closure of the border with China, Beijing took the opportunity to lend a hand to Russia. An organization of Chinese medical specialists flew from Heilongjiang province to Moscow, carrying several tons of masks and medical devices. To divert national attention from Suifenhe, this move had an accidental consequence. This has led Russian citizens to criticize their own leaders, who last month sent an army convoy with medical devices to Italy while desperately needing China’s help.
The Chinese shipment was emblazoned with the words of Russian poet Alexander Pushkin: “Bсё мгновенно, всё пройдет,” which translates to “Everything is ephemeral, everything will pass. “The other inhabitants of Primorsky’s territory would probably not be so optimistic. Without a fancy infectious disease clinic, your region is woefully ill-prepared to deal with COVID-19. The government hopes to be able to use an unfinished hospital in Vladivostok to meet this need, but first they will have to wait for the mandatory budget from the central government. The entire procedure can also take only a year and a half.
By then, it may already be too little, too late. As of May 2, Primorsky Krai had reported only 455 cases of COVID-19. As with the total number of coronavirus cases shown in Russia, as of May 5, more than 155,000 cases and 1,451 deaths: this figure is strangely low. This fuels a well-founded cynicism that the real number of cases is much higher and that an imminent health crisis awaits the region.
Before the border was closed, Oleg Kozhemyako, governor of Primorsky Krai, suggested to Russian President Vladimir Putin that he ban all Chinese citizens from taking domestic flights transiting through Vladivostok. His warning was ignored. Kozhemyako now fears for the Russians who arrived alongside their Chinese counterparts, as well as for Chinese citizens stranded in the region. He anxiously admits: “People are just scared. . . Now we expect an accumulation of the number of coronavirus patients in the region. “
Beijing will have to ask itself why Kozhemyako’s request was rejected. Moscow’s resolve to allow Chinese citizens to break lockdown rules, move into the airport, and even board domestic flights is puzzling. This has greatly increased the risk of an outbreak in Russia and China.
Russia’s internal turmoil, however, has not tarnished Beijing’s ability to introduce drastic measures in Suifenhe. Days after the border closed, a makeshift 600-bed hospital was built in a remodeled workplace building and six more buildings were designated to isolate and practice potential COVID cases. -19 patients. The local government has temporarily assembled a team of 800 volunteers to help the 400 new medical workers who will be stationed in the city. China is preparing for the worst.
All citizens returning to Suifenhe will also be required to undergo a 28-day quarantine. As in Wuhan, essential errands can now only be carried out by a family member every 3 days. The Chinese government even provides a 5,000 RMB ($700) reward to locals who report illegal border crossings. Beijing’s draconian reaction led Chinese netizens to refer to Suifenhe as “little Wuhan. ” Unlike Moscow, Beijing is not taking any risks.
The difference between China and Russia’s efforts to ease the growing tension on their borders is telling. Primorsky’s management gave the impression of being defeatist, passively waiting and accepting his fate. Heilongjiang, on the other hand, is decisive, even if it is to the detriment of its other countries. people on the other side of the border. This exemplifies what analysts describe as an asymmetrical and unequal force dynamic between China and Russia.
The backdrop to the tense negotiations on reopening the border is the land port of Suifenhe. Inside is a glass-bottomed national gate, which dominates the small customs status quo of Pogranichny, next door. In normal times, this literally gives Chinese visitors the opportunity to despise Russia. This will be the first thing they will see when, despite everything, they return to their home country.
The fate of those vulnerable citizens and communities in Russia’s Far East now depends on the ability of the two countries to jointly manage the reopening of the border. As tensions rise in Primorsky, the country may not respond to Beijing’s efforts to buy more Suifenhe. However, a solution that benefits both parties equally is equally unlikely.
Ankur Shah is a British Indian specializing in China and Russia. He has written for The Economist, Foreign Policy, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Suifenhe is a county-level city located at the eastern end of China’s 4,300-kilometer-long border with Russia. It’s 2,000 kilometers from Wuhan, where the COVID-19 crisis began late last year, and until recently, the outbreak may seem simply distant.
Locally, Suifenhe is best known for a series of increasingly extravagant domestic gates at its land port, designed to reflect China’s progress in recent decades in the face of Russia’s simultaneous decline. However, due to the existing pandemic, this land port has been remodeled into a collective quarantine place for 1,479 Chinese nationals.