The Chinese Embassy in France threatened to impose “reciprocal sanctions” on French travelers after Paris excluded China-made vaccines in its digital COVID-19 travel certificate, reported Radio Free Asia.

The move came after French authorities announced it would allow fully vaccinated people to enter the country without the need to provide a “compelling reason” for the entry, as part of plans for the European Union digital certificate.

Inbound travelers are required to have received shots produced by Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Modena before entry, while China-developed vaccines are not recognized in the program.

The Chinese Embassy in France blamed Paris for its “obvious political manipulation,” while a spokesperson at the Chinese Embassy in France told RFA that the Chinese government would implement “reciprocal sanctions.” This would mean that French people entering mainland China would not have their vaccinations recognized.

From June 9, inbound travelers to France must provide a certificate of a negative COVID-19 nucleic acid test within 72 hours, or a negative antigen test within 48 hours of boarding. Passengers would also be randomly tested when entering France.

Although the European Medicines Agency has not approved the use of vaccines produced by China’s CoronaVac and Sinopharm, some EU member states including Greece and Hungary have unilaterally authorized the emergency use of vaccines by the two China drugmakers.

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