Airbnb has removed listings in Beijing and canceled bookings during China’s annual parliament because it wants to be ‘good neighbors’

WANG ZHAO/AFP/Getty Images

• Airbnb has cancelled bookings and removed listings in Beijing until March 30.
• The company confirmed to Business Insider it made the decision due to “external factors” and that it always tries to be “good neighbors.”
• The removal of listings seems to coincide with China’s annual legislature meeting, which takes place in Beijing for more than two weeks.
• This isn’t the first time Airbnb has removed listings during large political events. Last year the company also restricted use in Beijing during the five-yearly Communist Party congress.

Airbnb listings in central Beijing have been temporarily removed and all bookings up until March 30 have been refunded as China’s annual legislature gets underway.

Searches for any date before the end of the month in central Beijing return zero Airbnb listings, with the site stating, “Due to external circumstances, homes in Beijing are unavailable through March 30.”

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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