Short-term business travel between China and Japan has been eased today after the two countries agreed to relax quarantine restrictions for those who test negative for Covid-19 and have submitted an itinerary of their activities in advance.
The scheme was agreed last week at a meeting between Japan’s foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi during a two-day visit to Tokyo by the latter to discuss Sino-Japanese collaboration.
Japan’s foreign ministry says that Chinese business travellers must limit their business activities to the necessary minimum, such as journeys to and from the office, “not using public transportation and avoiding contact with random people or crowds”.
Japan already has a similar business track scheme in place with Singapore, South Korea and Vietnam.
Speaking at today’s Tokyo-Beijing Forum 2020 Plenary Session, foreign minister Wang Yi welcomed the scheme and said it would “provide an important support for the recovery and development of [Chinese and Japanese] economies”.