Health certificate shows way to go

One day after State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a news conference on Sunday that China will roll out health certificates for international travelers to facilitate the safe and orderly flow of people, the certificate was officially launched on Monday on the WeChat mini program platform.

The health certificate, which is initially only available to Chinese citizens, contains an encrypted QR code enabling verification of its authenticity and providing access to relevant health particulars of the holder, such as nucleic acid test and serum antibody results, where and when the holder was vaccinated and other relevant information, as well as an encrypted code to allow authorities to verify the holder's personal information.

Although the move does not yet mean China is easing the restrictions on inbound and outbound travel, it does mark an important step forward in that direction.