Top News: ‘Super-national treatment’ draws public

Children of a Danish diplomat warned for breaking quarantine rules

Local community officers warned the children of a Danish diplomat in China for not wearing face masks while walking their dogs during the quarantine period in its residential community in Beijing recently, amid recent public criticism over “super-national treatment” to foreigners who were under quarantine in China.

Foreigners’ defiance of quarantine rules and local communities’ exceptional treatment to them worries many Chinese residents as China, which is in a fight against the spread of COVID-19, faces mounting pressure posed by imported infections that may result in a second wave of the deadly coronavirus.

Three children, two boys and a girl, of a counselor of the Danish Embassy who are still under a 14-day home quarantine, were caught walking dogs on March 25 by their neighbors, reports said.

The diplomat had not left China but the three children returned from Denmark to Beijing on March 13, which means they should quarantine at home for at least 14 days before going outside, a community officer at Wanguocheng community in Dongzhimen, a central area of Beijing, told Beijing News on Friday.

“We had contacted the foreign affairs department. The Danish embassy and the diplomat promised that they won’t go out during the quarantine period,” the community officer said.

The Danish Embassy said when reached by the Global Times they cannot comment on specific topics, but all staff members of the embassy need to follow rules of the local government.

Many Chinese netizens criticized their disdain of Chinese laws, and while everyone else is following epidemic prevention rules, diplomats should not be exempted.

Diplomats enjoy certain diplomatic immunities but it does not include the privilege of breaking Chinese laws and regulations, and not complying with epidemic prevention measures during a public health crisis, Wang Hongwei, a professor at Renmin University of China’s School of Public Administration and Policy, told the Global Times on Friday.

Recently, the Chinese public showed growing discontent over what some netizens call “super-national treatment” to foreigners who are under quarantine in China.

On Friday, a report saying a community committee in Nanjing, East China’s Jiangsu Province, had its employees carry fresh bread and barrels of purified water and some 20 deliveries to the doors of foreigners in the community every day outraged many Chinese netizens, despite the community committee’s response that they would provide the same service to Chinese residents.

Experts said that it’s understandable that foreigners as guests living in China should be given more care, but such care cannot conflict with regulations and rules. Chinese and foreigners should be given equal treatment especially on prevention and control of COVID-19, as making exceptions to foreigners may pose a threat to the domestic COVID-19 battle that has seen great achievements, analysts warned.

However, some foreigners living in China expressed concerns that they are being discriminated against. In response, Geng Shuang, spokesperson of China’s Foreign Ministry said at Friday’s media briefing that what he heard more were foreigners’ admiration and praise for China’s achievements in fighting the COVID-19.