China Tightens Russia Border Checks, Approves Vaccine Trials

Russia has become China’s largest source of imported cases, with a total of 409 infections originating in northern neighbour. Chinese people there should stay put and not return home, says state-owned Global Times in an editorial

China has approved early-stage human tests of two experimental vaccines to combat the new coronavirus as the country where the virus was first detected battles to contain imported cases, especially from Russia.

Russia has become China’s largest source of imported cases, with a total of 409 infections originating in the northern neighbour. Chinese people there should stay put and not return home, the state-owned Global Times said in an editorial on Tuesday.

“Chinese people have watched Russia become a severely affected country... This should sound the alarm: China must strictly prevent the inflow of cases and avoid a second outbreak,” said the paper, which is run by the Communist Party’s People’s Daily.

China’s northeastern border province of Heilongjiang saw 79 new cases of imported coronavirus cases on Monday, all Chinese citizens travelling home from Russia, state media said. Mainland China reported 89 new cases.

Heilongjiang’s provincial authority said on Tuesday that it had established a hotline to reward citizens as much as 5,000 yuan ($710) for handing over or reporting illegal immigrants.