As China announces that they will reopen borders with Korea, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nepal on July 28th, it also recorded its highest number of new COVID-19 cases since March, sparking fears of a new wave. The new spike is concentrated in two regions of Northeast Liaoning Province and Northwest Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region with 68 new cases confirmed since July 27th. 

The increase in COVID-19 cases come as China sets to relax their borders to certain countries. China had previously banned foreigners in March, including those who held valid visas and residence permits, in a bid to stop cross-border spread of the virus. South Korean Ambassador Jang Ha-Sung and China have agreed to issuing 3 types of visas for South Korean students, workers and residents with valid residence certificates. The visa issuance is scheduled to resume in early August. However, details are still to be worked through on South Koreans whose residence certificate has expired. 

The European Council has also announced that they would adopt that Chinese non-essential travellers will be able to enter the EU if China is reciprocal. China has yet to confirm this reciprocity.