Eva Lee was growing frustrated. After three years of insulation, lockdowns and, more recently, near-daily Covid testing, China was finally reopening its borders, and the 40-year-old lawyer was eager to travel.
But as she scrolled the popular Qunar and Ctrip travel apps from her Beijing apartment, her options seemed limited. She considered going to the Philippines for some kite-surfing — but there were no direct or affordable flights to Boracay. She looked at Taipei to visit one of her best friends, but the country was still closed off to Chinese visitors, except for organized tour groups.
Crowds at the Lunar New Year celebration in Macau, January 22, 2023. Credit: GCS Macau Government
Her best option was to fly to Macau, a semi-autonomous Chinese region and former Portuguese territory south of the mainland. There, at least, she could reunite with her parents, whom she hadn’t seen in three years, for the Lunar New Year holiday at the end of January.
But
Exclusive longform investigative journalism, Q&As, news and analysis, and data on Chinese business elites and corporations. We publish China scoops you won't find anywhere else.
A weekly curated reading list on China from David Barboza, Pulitzer Prize-winning former Shanghai correspondent for The New York Times.
A daily roundup of China finance, business and economics headlines.
We offer discounts for groups, institutions and students. Go to our Subscriptions page for details.
Robert Lighthizer, the U.S. Trade Representative under Donald Trump, reflects on his decision to launch the trade war with China and begin the process of "strategic decoupling" — a process he says the U.S. must see through to the end.
