Individual freedom is an important asset, and freedom to travel is one of them.
They don't exist in China.
But after China's President Xi Jinping finally forced his own people to reverse the corona policy, he is now opening the borders.
That sounds good, also because countries like Cambodia, Thailand and Australia are desperately waiting for Chinese investors and tourists to return.
Depending on visa, income and flight options, 1.3 billion people will take the opportunity to finally leave China.
That is to be welcomed.
And yet there is growing concern about the enterprising spirit of the Chinese, who have been imprisoned for more than two years.
Because they could spread Corona again and with new variants.
Asians in particular will travel to China again on business – without being able to assess the risk of infection in the party dictatorship, which is notorious for false information.
Half of the passengers from China on a flight to Milan have just tested positive there.
That is why Australia, Japan and other countries are now again introducing compulsory tests against Corona for travelers.
Even these cannot prevent a wave, the virus is too mobile.
But they could slow them down, which would be important for fragile health systems.
Because the poorer countries in Africa or Asia, where the Chinese go on vacation or come back with construction crews, have never been vaccinated as they should be.
No one should be surprised by the concerns and distrust of other countries: under President Xi, China took a chaotic, dangerous course against the pandemic.
The planned investigation into whether the virus came from a Chinese laboratory was degraded to a farce by Beijing.
Xi forced his own people into a corset of quarantine that slowed down their lives and ruined parts of the economy.
Xi has disqualified himself as a "great leader" and may even endanger his power.
It is to be hoped that he is now smart enough not to choose world-endangering avenues to cement his claim to power - such as an attack on Taiwan.