The Chinese government sharply criticized the COVID-19 testing requirements imposed on passengers from China and threatened countermeasures against the countries involved, which include the U.S. and several European nations.
"We believe the entry restrictions adopted by some countries against China lack scientific basis, and some excessive practices are even more unacceptable," Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said Tuesday at a daily briefing.
"We firmly oppose attempts to manipulate COVID measures for political purposes and will take countermeasures based on the principle of reciprocity," he said. Mao did not specify what steps China might take.
The comments were China's sharpest to date on the issue. Australia and Canada this week joined a growing list of countries requiring travelers from China to take a COVID-19 test before boarding their flight, as China battles a domestic outbreak of the coronavirus after abruptly easing restrictions that were in place during much of the pandemic.
Other countries, including the U.S., U.K., India, Japan and several European nations, have announced stricter measures against COVID-19 for travelers from China amid concerns over a lack of infection data in China and fears that new variants could emerge.