The restrictions Washington has imposed on travelers from China require that anyone over the age of 2 must show a negative COVID-19 test no more than two days before their departure. The measure came into effect on Thursday. What makes the restrictions particularly unsavory is that US health officials have tried to justify the move by saying they are concerned about potential new variants circulating without their knowledge.

It is ludicrous for Washington's health officials to try and vindicate the move with such an excuse. Although it is true that the number of infections are increasing rapidly in China, that is natural given the easing of its prevention and control measures and the stronger transmissibility of the dominant Omicron sub-variants in China.

Following a meeting of its Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday to analyze the data on the latest wave of infections in China, the World Health Organization confirmed that two widely circulating sub-variants of the Omicron strain of the novel coronavirus, BA.5.2 and BF.7, were responsible for 97.5 percent of the infections and no new variants had been found. 

In fact, it is the highly transmissible Omicron sub-variant XBB.1.5 that is causing another surge of cases in the United States, and the TAG-VE is carrying out an updated risk-assessment of it as it has already spread to at least 70 countries.

Will Washington impose restrictions on travelers from countries where there is a rapid surge of cases because of the spread of the Omicron sub-variant XBB.1.5, which raises the possibility that new sub-variants will emerge, due to the rapidity with which this strain can spread?

If Washington imposes restrictions on travelers from China simply because it worries that a new variant might emerge, other countries have more than enough reason to impose restrictions on travelers from the US, where new variants have emerged the most and the rate of infections is the highest of all countries in the past three years.

Washington, of course, is once again politicizing COVID-19 by imposing discriminatory requirements on arrivals from China.

The novel coronavirus is the common enemy of humanity. Working out the most effective response to it requires concerted efforts of all countries, especially joint endeavors from major countries such as China and the United States.

Washington should stop demonizing and stigmatizing China on the pretext of fighting against the virus, as doing so is not in the interest of itself or the world at large. Instead, it will only make it more difficult for the world to find the best possible approach to deal with the pandemic.