It could mean the Swiss traveler has China permanent residency or it means that they allow people to enter from Singapore who aren't Singaporean residents, which is true of Korea as well I believe.

(bolding mine)
Pretty sure that's suspended right now, no?

I've heard that it still works for outbound. After Covid is over, it will presumably be good for inbound as well.

E channel is completely shut off at every entry and exit. Chinese trying to leave are given a thorough questioning by the border guards about why they are traveling during the pandemic.

I really don’t know where you’re getting all your info, but it’s all pretty bad intel these days! Let’s meet up for some Chili’s soon and chew the fat.

Correct. E-Channel is unavailable for entry or exit. For foreigners it's back to filling out the exit / entry forms (which are now blue, by the way).

As far as I know even Chinese nationals need to fulfil the same residency rules as foreign nationals when applying for the green code so whether they had permanent residency in China shouldn't really matter.

In South Korea's case the rules are crystal clear as it's published on the Embassy's website, 30 days in the country and you are eligible for a green code. It's still not clear what the threshold is for getting a green code in Singapore.

When I left via the Shenzhen/HK land border late last year there were no forms to fill for foreigners. Of course this was just one port so it's not necessarily representative.

Works outbound for who? Foreigners? No, it doesn't.

Your post was SPECIFICALLY quoting a post that was referring to what is happening NOW, not in the future.
We all know eChannel will eventually will return.

Really? Lucky you. When I crossed this border in March 2021 I had to complete one of those roughly photocopied Chinese forms all in Chinese which - to the best of my phone translator's ability - was entirely about location, contacts, and domestic travel history. It took me ages because there's nobody to assist, of course. They also put the frighteners on me before they let me out by telling me that if HK rejected me some 20m beyond the mainland border then I'd have to do two weeks quarantine upon return. I didn't have HK residency but I'd read nothing about residency being a requirement to enter by the land border (it was a requirement by plane at this time) so I nodded sagely indicating my acceptance of this potential fate and they let me pass, never to return. After sharing this anecdote, I think the point is that the land border port has always been treated differently to the airport as a point of entry to HK.

YariGuy Have you been able to use eChannel since March 2020?

We're on (but, I miss Hooters)
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...79a56b4ca7.jpg

Agreed, although I have no business in China and no clients to meet.

I love RP! Last year I got 3-year RP for family reunion.

I was told that it's fairly easy to renew. Is this true?

Yes.

That having been said, I suggest you run your plan by someone like Vincent (he is not God; I simply happen to know him).

No. I've gone through PVG 3 times since March 2020 and like I said, no e-channel, and lots of additional forms / codes, including the paper exit form.

Oh yes there was a travel history form but that's not for immigration as you need to hand in that form before you even reach the immigration check-point.

Yes there was a spiel about the risks of being denied entry into HK and having to enter Chinese quarantine but otherwise it was fairly straightforward. Note that people who are not HK-residents must either have booked quarantine hotels (now downgraded to normal hotels) or have registered under Come2HK, otherwise they risk being denied entry by HK. I have no idea whether HK actually enforces that though.

When I did it I was able to quarantine at my (future) spouse's house for two weeks. I had an active HK SIM and I had pre-registered my crossing and address details on their web site so I had the pink QR code to enter HK. I had no problem getting through the first stage where they check your quarantine details and put the wristband on. In fact, they were very pleasant about it all. When I got to passport control I was held up for about five minutes as a phone call was made and then stamped and waved on with no questions or explanation. British passport and give the usual six months visitor stamp. My two weeks at home ordering stuff from FoodPanda and HKTVMall was a dream compared to my time at the Vienna Hotel in Shenzhen when I'd gone the other way some seven months previously.

A family reunion residence permit is super easy to renew. I just did it in August. Just bring the necessary documents (marriage certificate, etc.). No agent, no wife required. It was pretty empty too, unlike the before times. They told me they only give 2-year RPs though. How did you manage a 3-year? They said they give 5-year RPs as well, but for that you need to get certified to have Chinese heritage. Apparently that's a thing.

Sounds good. Hope Vincent is still around in 2024 when I try to renew my RP.

Can he get me 5-year RP for family reunion？

This was my first time to apply for RP. The entry exit department said normally they only grant one-year RP. Since I know some important local government officials, they decided to give me 3 year RP.

I grew up in China and my brother and sister are all Chinese.

I was told that 5-year RP requires that I marry a Chinese citizen there, or I have an endorsement from the local government.

There wasn’t even an exit form for immigration when I left from PVG this week. Just the exit health survey on wechat. The exit is virtually empty with maybe 1-3 people in line. Using echannel would add zero value aside from saving the passport space of 1 stamp. It was obviously not open regardless, and I find it amusing anyone would even imagine the possibility of it being open.

the Polaris class food on UA858 is now somehow worse than the last time I flew it Aug 2021. Which was worse than the food when I flew it Nov 2020. I would put it right on par with the slop tray you’d get on a domestic Chinese airline economy section. I honestly started laughing when the FA showed me photos of what each dish looked like because she was too embarrassed to try to describe them in words. They didn’t even give a menu just asked if you want chicken or pork.

The food on both 858 and 857 in October last year was a joke, served with the usual United aplomb. I actually had to move seats on 858 because the FAs were talking to each other so loud in the galley I could hear each and every word from 3A. They didn’t care about disturbing the passengers even though we left Seoul after midnight local time.

There are many bigger issues with the current Covid policies but the fact that we’re basically limited to flying UA from Shanghai now is a real bummer. Now I know why, despite SFO being my normal US destination, I took CX or DL for over 10 years on this routing. Of course one of those choices may not be an option whenever China decides to open up 3-10 years from now.

Apart from the awful food, my 857 last fall was honestly sublime...perhaps my best experience on it ever. I managed to avail of F on 857/858 several times and was never wowed.

It appears that when every passenger on the plane is paying at least $2500, they up their game.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-w...ng-11646230580

I'm still in the (at least partial) reopening by fall camp. I'm happy to be the dumb optimist.

China needed a test population for where they could see what happens if Omicron spreads through the population. That happened to be Hong Kong.

If the food is awful, what makes the flight “sublime?”

Did you get an extra smile as the FA filled your cup? Extra pack of pre departure nuts? Loved the movie selection?

The only thing I want to do on a flight is eat reasonable food and sleep. If the FA’s can manage to keep their own mouths shut most of the time, part 2 is easy.

It's not a restaurant, guys!:D

It's true that UA should be embarrassed about food (if you can even call it that) quality. But, look on the bright side; you won't get fat on their watch.

By "sublime", I was referring to the exceptional friendliness of the cabin crew. They went the extra mile to make sure I was happy. AA and DL are also good in this respect.

More than 100 people died in HK yesterday, for a population of 7 million,

The Kingdom would never accept that.

Let me guess, Vincent also works as a UA flight attendant?
:D

Oh my! I can see that the horse has left the barn. Simply put, if Vincent (or competitor) agrees to work with any of you guys, you will be able to come here, full stop!

The entry fee is seriously 5 figures now, though. China is honestly pretty nice these days, but maybe not that nice.

The Kingdom would never accept that *being reported publicly*. I think you finished your sentence a few words early :).

It's definitely no fun everywhere you go, you need to present 48-hour PCR test.

Actually I think every positive case is publicized in China. Local officials dare NOT hide anything

Shanghai is still reasonably fun but that gets old in a hurry if you aren’t an alcoholic. Shenzhen is now in a full on Orwellian lockdown with a sea of hazmat suited personnel deployed throughout Futian Nanshan and Shekou. You are given a 3 hour window to leave your apartment to procure groceries once a week.

China is not even registering on the radar as a fun place to be for anyone who isn’t a victim of Stockholm syndrome.

It’s coming to Shanghai soon as Omicron has been spreading here for a few days now. Some
employees of mine are in government lockdown now.

I have every confidence SH is going to show HK up on how to manage a proper zero lockdown.

Unfortunately the vast majority of the population in the Kingdom welcome Stockholm syndrome and refuse medication.

This is inevitable. Nobody can beat Omicron.

Wait until large waves of Omicron. Current zero COVID strategy will eventually fail.

I'm bracing for major lockdowns in Beijing.....just a matter of time, IMO.

This is pretty simple:

If you believe Zero Covid will fail, then the logical move is to shift the messaging and eventually open up (like in the above quoted WSJ article). Based on Hong Kong this probability is more likely than not.

If you believe Zero Covid won’t fail, then you keep locking down everything again. However there are other confounding factors like the rest of the world is opening up, local property markets, etc.

The dumb part is if they get stuck in the middle (Zero Covid fails, but they don’t open it up) ie. Hong Kong. If you look at New Zealand, they just dropped all the quarantine requirements because there are more cases inside the country than out and are accelerating the border reopening timeline.

Most know zero Covid is dumb. Most don’t want to tell the emperor. Hence, zero Covid will be China’s policy going forward for the foreseeable future.

What is going on in Hong Kong now is asinine, yet they still cling to “dynamic” zero Covid. Why? Xi knows why.

It’s a means of stating ownership, same as how all stamps must state “Hong Kong, China”, our passport bear the National Emblem, as does our Legco from this sitting (even after the swearing in).

I still can't believe that elderly people in an advanced modern city like HK refused to be vaccinated.

It's a recipe for disaster.

Worse, the government of HK dare not acknowledge that PRC vaccine is hugely ineffective.

Instead, they seduced people in HK to get vaccine produced in the Kingdom in order to please the emperor.

That's a bit extreme. On the ground, we see the elders as deeply distrustful of western medicine - both Chinese attenuated virus vaccines and mRNA - and a government far more tolerant of them than against dissident young people. Government may have better getting elders to take some herb from Africa would protect them from harm even if it involves (or particularly if they say) steaming in their bare hands for four hours a day.

The only way to get them to vaccinate is a outbreak like the one we're having now. It worked to drive up vaccination numbers in NSW in their last winter, it will work here for our seniors. Of course, it will never be official policy to allow an outbreak, hence all the theatre about testing.

It's a combination of King Pooh commanding back the tide, and the Emperor's New Clothes of everyone trying to say it's working.

“hugely ineffective” compared to what? an experimental technology with no history of long term side effects that appears effective for 8-12 weeks and then falls off a cliff?

China has had the mRNA option, and they have chosen against it...perhaps because they see it as more of an experimental therapeutic than true vaccine. I don’t know if that’s correct, but neither was the narrative that covid STOPS with mRNA. To blast them as “trying to please the emperor” is absurd.