According to ‘s information, the real estate company has demanded a corona test from those doing business in the building within 24 hours. The embassy does not comment on the reason for the closure.
According to ‘s information, the Finnish embassy in Beijing has closed its doors to the public and the staff has moved to remote work until the end of the week due to the controversy related to corona restrictions.
The dispute is about whether the strict corona restrictions violate diplomatic rights according to the Vienna Convention to freely travel to the embassy’s premises.
In late spring, the Embassy of Finland moved to a modern high-rise office building in Beijing.
According to information obtained by , the real estate company has informed the organizations operating in the tower block today, Wednesday, that the building can only be entered by showing a coronavirus test taken within 24 hours. If the corona test is not valid, entry is denied.
In the past, a corona test ordered by the Beijing authorities within two or three days has been required for entry.
According to the Vienna Convention, the receiving state, i.e. China in this case, must secure the right of the members of the delegation to move and travel freely in its territory.
Embassy Press Officer in Beijing Timo Sysiö commented that the reasons for closing the embassy are private and cannot be opened.
According to ‘s information, the real estate company is now required to know why access is restricted.
In Beijing, the corona restrictions have been tightened recently, and many buildings have been defined as risk targets if people defined as exposed have been in the area.
Yesterday, Tuesday, 32 coronavirus infections were detected in Beijing, which has a population of twenty million. China fights infections with extreme measures because of its zero-tolerance line.