What’s new: Nearly 200 Chinese nationals in Ethiopia boarded a flight back to China Monday morning local time after being stranded in the country for more than 30 hours.
Most are international students studying in places such as the Europe and the U.S. They had arrived in the African country to take transfer flights back to China, but those were cancelled after China implemented new rules that drastically cut international flights to and from the country in light of the worsening Covid-19 pandemic.
Background: According to rules China’s aviation regulator issued Thursday, all domestic airlines were limited to flying one international flight per week to each country starting Sunday. Foreign airlines were also ordered to limit their number of flights into China to one per week.
The rule came as Beijing has shifted its focus to reducing the risk of imported cases of the novel coronavirus now that China’s domestic outbreak appears under control. Chinese citizens abroad have attempted to flee infection hotspots by flying home.
Quick Takes are condensed versions of China-related stories for fast news you can use. To read the full Caixin article in Chinese, click here.
Related: China’s New Restrictions to Slash International Flights by 90%
Contact reporter Mo Yelin (yelinmo@caixin.com) and editor Dave Yin (davidyin@caixin.com)
