China denies asking US diplomats to undergo COVID anal tests

BEIJING: China has denied subjecting United States diplomats to COVID-19 anal tests following reports in US media that some US personnel reported being made to undergo the procedure, foreign media reported.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told reporters at a daily briefing on Thursday that: “China has never asked US diplomats in China to go through anal swab tests.” White House announces plans to ramp up COVID testingOxford University to test COVID vaccine response in childrenCanada to ask air travellers to wait on COVID tests in hotelsAustralia, UK to require negative COVID-19 tests from travellers The Washington Post reported last week that some US personnel had told the department they had been subjected to the anal tests.

The procedure has been applied in China because it is reportedly more accurate than nasal or mouth swabs.

China has not reported a new local case of COVID-19 in more than a week, but has maintained strict testing, especially for people arriving from abroad.

Diplomats and other foreigners with special status are exempted from a ban on most foreigners entering the country.

Meanwhile, a US State Department spokesperson said Washington was “committed to guaranteeing the safety and security of American diplomats and their families while preserving their dignity, consistent with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations as well as other relevant diplomatic law provisions”.