The Chinese Embassy in Israel has apologised for its acting ambassador's Sunday, Jan. 2 comment that compared travel restrictions imposed on China by various countries to the Holocaust.

Banning Chinese citizens like the Holocaust

According to The Times of Israel, Dai Yuming commented at an English-language presser in Tel Aviv that Israel's recent decision to bar entry to Chinese arrivals made him feel "bad and sad".

He said this was because the move was reminiscent of "the old days, the old stories that happened in World War Two, the Holocaust, the darkest days in human history".

China one of the few countries who let the Jews in

Dai also said China was one of the "very, very few countries" that opened their borders to the Jewish people during that time, when "millions" were killed and "refused when they tried to seek assistance from other countries".

Dai's controversial comments came as he urged Israel not to bar entry to Chinese citizens.

He said: "In the darkest days of the Jewish people, we didn't close the door on them. I hope Israel will not close the door on the Chinese."

Dai further asserted that China was taking control of the situation, and called on countries to work together to contain the virus, and to prevent overreaction.

30,000 Jews entered Shanghai in the 1930s

According to the United Nations, about 30,000 European Jews fled to Shanghai between 1933 and 1941 to escape Nazi persecution.

However, the Chinese government then did not have full control over its borders.

For instance, under the first "unequal treaty" that China was forced to sign with Britain following its defeat at the First Opium War in 1842, Shanghai was opened up as one of the five port cities that had to receive foreign trade.

China then fell to Imperial Japan during World War II, and was in disarray due to the years of civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communist forces.

Chinese embassy apologised

The Chinese embassy in Israel subsequently released a statement through Israel's Foreign Ministry that said they had "no intention whatsoever to compare the dark days of the Holocaust with the current situation and the efforts taken by the Israeli government to protect its citizens", The Times of Israel reported.

The statement read: "We would like to apologise if someone understood our message the wrong way."

The world marked the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi's Auschwitz concentration and death camp just a week earlier on Jan. 27.

China hits out at countries that barred Chinese arrivals

China has criticised countries that chose to close their borders to Chinese travellers, saying such a move goes against the World Health Organisation's recommendations, and was an "overreaction".

While the WHO has declared the novel coronavirus a global public health emergency on Thursday, Feb. 30, it has yet to issue any advisory against travel to China.

According to China's official figures, the number of confirmed cases on the Chinese mainland has risen to more than 20,438, while the death toll stands at 425, exceeding that of the 2003 SARS outbreak.

Top image via Chinese Embassy in Israel