Because of the massive corona wave in China, the foreign policy spokesman for the Union faction, Jürgen Hardt, calls for a stop to flight connections with the People's Republic.

"The exploding Covid numbers in China caused by the Chinese government's failed corona policy are threatening the whole world with a new wave of infections," said the CDU MP to the editorial network Germany (RND).

"We must not repeat the mistake of three years ago and should now stop all flight connections to and from China immediately."

The opposition politician added: "Only when we are sure that there is no threat of a new, dangerous mutation from China should we resume flight connections."

Since the explosive increase in corona infections and the abrupt end of the rigorous zero-tolerance strategy in China a good two weeks ago, the virus has been spreading at high speed among the billions of people.

In many places, the hospitals are full.

According to estimates, hundreds of thousands of deaths are to be expected.

The health policy spokesman for the Greens, Janosch Dahmen, advocated using masks more frequently with a view to China and the high level of sick leave in this country.

"Not only because of the development in China, but also because of the other respiratory diseases in Germany, it is important that we use the mask indoors much more again - completely independent of which rules apply," he told the RND.

The legal framework means that the federal states are introducing stricter rules.

"I find it very strange, not only as a politician, but also as a doctor, that almost ten million sick Germans are still not making use of it at the moment."

In view of the wave of infections in China, Dahmen warned: "High numbers of infections also mean more chances for mutations of the virus."

The United States has meanwhile called on China to be open in dealing with the massive corona wave that is currently rolling over the People's Republic.

In a phone call with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Friday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized "the need for transparency for the international community" with regard to the Covid 19 outbreak in China, according to a statement from the State Department.

The talks came amid fears that China is downplaying the scale and severity of the outbreak.

China reports only a few thousand infections a day, while foreign experts assume around a million new infections a day.

There are also concerns abroad that new virus variants could develop with so many infections.

The Corona outbreak was not even mentioned in a statement from the Beijing Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the phone call.

On the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, it was said that China was on the side of the international community in the search for negotiations and peace.

China will "play a constructive role in its own way to defuse the crisis."

However, China has not yet condemned the aggression of its "strategic partner" Russia.m>