I don't know a single person who renewed this year, and was asked to start from scratch.

I also live in China, Handan, with a residence permit, want to travel back to the UK in early July to sort out some family business. I've been told by our Public Security Bureau that my only chance to return back to China is if I am fully vaccinated with a Chinese manafactured vaccine, so that is one benefit to travel.....

The Chinese Embassy in London seem's to confirm this...IV) Non-Chinese nationals in the U.K. holding valid Chinese residence permits for work, personal matters and reunion will no longer be affected for entry into China.

2. Please be noted that the above-mentioned visa facilitation applies only to applicants who have been inoculated with COVID-19 vaccines produced in China, having either received two doses of Chinese-made vaccines with the stipulated gap in between, or received a single-dose Chinese-made vaccine at least 14 days prior to the application, and obtained the vaccination certificate.

3. The requirement that personnel intending to travel to China need to present double-negative certificates of nucleic acid and antibody (IgM) tests remains unchanged. The relevant Chinese quarantine policies shall be observed after entering China.

The only problem is, here in Handan there is no policy in place to vaccinate foreigners, we just keep getting fobbed off with wait a while, maybe next week, next week comes and we ask again and get the same answer....So it looks like if I can't get the jabs then I stand the risk of being unable to return to China for quite a while, my wife will not be very happy....

I think it's clear to most who read this board regularly, but might be important to repeat (and test / challenge my understanding), that there is a difference between gaining entry in China once you're at the border (i.e., Pudong Airport) vs. at the point of departure.

At the point of departure, it's highly dependent on where you are and local policy. I know from the US you'll need Chinese embassy "permission" to board a flight, and this in turn requires a negative PCR test plus blood antibody tests (with Chinese vaccines possibly helping). These requirements may vary in other countries.

However, once having arrived in China, treatment is pretty much* the same. As Steveb1955 wrote above,



Actually it's not just in the UK, it should be anywhere, once you arrive at China's border.

*I say treatment is pretty much the same because as far as I know, you'll be allowed entry and will have to quarantine. The exception is Macau. If you can get into Macau somehow and stay there for 2 weeks, you can enter mainland China without quarantine.

Are you saying Macau is somewhat of a loophole or is there more to this story? I’d gladly bop around Macau for a few weeks to avoid a China 14 day hotel lockdown. I’ve already been through 2 of those.

AFAIK getting into Macao as a foreign citizen is even stricter than mainland, so it's not really a loophole.

To be fair, this policy was made before there was any notion that China would approve any foreign vaccines. Since then, it looks like BioNTech (called Pfizer in the rest of the world) will be approved by July at the latest, Chinese media confirms the same. https://www.fiercepharma.com/manufac...y-new-china-jv

Per the quoted announcement Notice on Providing Facilitation for Visa Applicants Inoculated with COVID-19 Vaccines Produced in China, if I'm reading it correctly category IV (residence permit holders) are not applying for visas so it doesn't matter if you have the Chinese vaccine or not.

Hong Kong is reducing quarantine requirements for vaccinated travellers: https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/...1050700821.htm
But think if one goes Hong Kong -> China the normal quarantine procedures apply still

There is still an entry restriction for Hong Kong unless you have a
visa or PR

I don't think the vaccination requirements apply to you as a residence permit holder. It's only relevant for people with no visas who are trying to get one.

If you are coming to Hong Kong from a low risk country like Australia/NZ then you may enter without a visa.

Thanks tauphi...I did start out thinking that as well, but when we visited the PSB they made a phone call and told us that without a Chinese vaccine I would not get the permission to fly back. Not sure what it's like in bigger Chinese cities but here in Handan it's proving very hard to get solid information out of anyone in a position of authority regarding this....

That's correct. And even if you enter Macau, you can't just bop around for 2 weeks. The quarantine requirement is actually 3 weeks for most entrants...

The part about getting permission is correct - currently you need a go-ahead from the local Chinese embassy or consulate. I wouldn't give any credence to the Handan PSB though.

The bolded is true in any city in China or from any Chinese mission abroad. They don't give firm answers to any questions regarding these issues at the moment. Likely you'd be able to get back in with your RP but it's not guaranteed. The green QR code required for boarding is the wildcard. The embassy in the UK can refuse to give you this green code and you're out of luck no matter what they say in Handan. IMHO the people in Handan have no idea what the embassy in the UK will do so I'd stop asking for info from them and try to start communicating more closely with the embassy in London (if they deign to answer your emails/calls).

But only citizens and their immediate family, or existing visa holders can enter Australia, NZ and Singapore

How many of those are in Beijing? (see *)
Apparently (or so I've been told) it would be easier if I were working in Beijing, Chaoyang District, but alas, it's Beijing, Tongzhou District which happens to be the district where much of the govt. is moving to, which is apparently making things even more difficult/stringent.

* It was suggested by China Visa consultants I should just get a work permit in Shanghai to get back to China, as that would be not much more than a formality, but I reckon that won't help me in the long run.