BEIJING — China said Tuesday it would no longer require incoming travelers to show proof of a negative coronavirus test, taking another step toward reopening after a long pandemic-era isolation.

But it is unclear whether the testing requirement will be completely lifted. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said only that from April 29, travelers to China “can” replace the previously required nucleic acid test with an antigen test taken within 48 hours before boarding.

Spokesperson Mao Ning at a regular press conferencereturnexpressShe did not say whether others, such as immigration officials, would check test results before boarding.

According to the notice issued by the Chinese embassy abroad, passengers arriving in China are still required to fill out a health declaration form.Customs will conduct sampling inspections at a certain ratio.

China implemented the world’s most stringent coronavirus prevention and control measures for three years, implementing large-scale lockdowns and frequent nucleic acid testing for all people in the name of “COVID-19 elimination.” Then, with the economy sluggish, the virus spreading widely, and protests erupting across the country, the government suddenly abandoned the policy in December last year. Beijing then announced that it would reopen its borders to try to attract foreign businessmen and diplomats to China.

In fact, the pace of reopening has been slower, in part because of geopolitical tensions.Until last monthInternational flights remain prohibitively expensive for many, costing thousands of dollars. The United States and China have yet to lift tit-for-tat restrictions on flights imposed during the pandemic.

Testing requirements have also become politicized. In January, as the coronavirus spread widely in China, several countries, including the United States, Japan, and South Korea, announced that they would require travelers from China to present negative nucleic acid test results upon entry. In response, ChinaStrengthenedrequirements for incoming travelers from those countries and suspended certain categories of visas for Japanese and South Koreans. (South Korea has also suspended certain visas for Chinese travelers.)

The United States, Japan and South Korea no longer require any testing before departure for travelers from China, but China did not change its regulations until Tuesday.

China has previously allowed people traveling to China from other countries to undergo only antigen testing.

The day before China’s announcement, Yanzhong Huang, senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations, called on the Chinese government to scrap the nucleic acid testing requirement, noting that the requirement is costly and time-consuming for many travelers and that its motivation is “dominated by geopolitical considerations.”

The committee is headquartered in New York. Huang Yanzhong posted an article on the committee’s website.Blog PostThe requirement to present a nucleic acid test certificate before boarding a flight “cannot be justified on public health grounds, alienates overseas Chinese, hinders China’s tourism industry, and hinders China’s efforts to reopen after the COVID-19 pandemic,” the statement said.

China has insisted that its coronavirus prevention and control measures are based entirely on science. Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning told a news conference that China will continue to “scientifically optimize its prevention and control policies.”