Coronavirus: fed up with the “zero covid” policy, many Chinese are planning to emigrate

“Abroad everything is more stable”, Alan Li says, criticizing the strict restrictions imposed in China to contain the coronavirus, which affect his activities, disrupt his son’s education and isolate his country. He, like his other compatriots, is determined to emigrate.

After several months of imprisonment in Shanghai, this Chinese businessman he lost hope of a return to normal short term. He decided to sell his company and buy a one-way ticket to Hungary.

For him, this central European country is the ideal place to refound his company and allow his 13-year-old son to access a good international school.

“We have had many losses this year”he tells AFP under a false identity, as he wishes to remain anonymous.

The crisis

The executive says he had to use his savings to pay workers while in prison.

“What would we do if this reproduced next winter?”poses.

The confinement imposed on Shanghai shocked China by its length and difficulties in accessing food. Furthermore, the obligation to remain in the quarantine centers has generated resentment against the authorities.

Now, many Chinese want to leave their country, which used to be considered a very stable economy, but the restrictions are ancient They created an unpredictable environment.

An example is the postponement of many school exams, specifically the essential test to enter universities in the United States.

Alan Li pays dearly for the English bilingual school where his son is enrolled, so he is outraged by the online lessons and the growing ideological control over programs.

“All of this ruins our children’s youth,” he says.

Your high level of income guarantees you be able to access a European investment program which will allow his family to settle in Budapest.

“Many people know that if they sell everything, they can live in peace in a European country,” he explains. “Abroad everything is more stable and it is easier to plan for the future “She said.

Alan Li is not the only Chinese who thinks of emigrating.

The exit

Guo Shize, an immigration consultant, told AFP that his agency has seen an explosion in demand since March. The number of customers in Shanghai has tripled.

But migration is limited by the overseas travel policy China imposed during the pandemic.

Currently “Non-essential” trips are not recommended or banned and the authorities have stopped renewing passports, except for those who can prove an emergency.

Specifically, Chinese people can go out to study at university or to do a job, but not for tourism.

The idea behind this policy is to limit the return of people who could be infected with the coronavirus.

This was stated by a Chinese freelance journalist who wanted to travel to Iraq at the end of 2021 could not board a flight to Istanbul to reach their destination.

“They took my passport for 15 minutes and came back and told me I didn’t meet the criteria,” he told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The professional, who had neither a visa to enter Iraq nor a formal letter from an employer, finally managed to leave through the semi-autonomous territory of Macau, To the south.

For Lucy, 20-year-old LGBT activist and Beijing University student, anticovid politics it allowed the government to “control everything”.

“All I want is to live a country where the government does not interfere in my private life“, invoice.

“Instead of accepting and adapting to this system, perhaps it is better to go somewhere else and start a new life,” he concludes.

AFP agency

PB