With the resumption of global travel on the horizon, some people are discovering that their choice of vaccine could determine where theyre allowed to go. Already, the European Union is planning to allow Americans vaccinated with shots approved by their drug agency to enter over the summer, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen suggested in a New York Times interview Sunday. This means that those who have shots by Chinese makers like Sinovac Biotech Ltd. and Sinopharm Group Co. Ltd. are likely to be barred from entry for the foreseeable future, with stark consequences for global business activity and the revival of international tourism.

As inoculation efforts ramp up around the world, a patchwork of approvals across countries and regions is laying the groundwork for a global vaccine bifurcation, where the shot you get could determine which countries you can enter and work in. For Chinese citizens who venture abroad regularly, and western nationals wanting to pursue business opportunities in the worlds secondlargest economy, a dilemma is emerging about which shot to opt for. China so far recognizes only Chinesemade shots, and its vaccines are not approved in the U.S. or Western Europe.

Hong Kong citizen Marie Cheung travels to mainland China regularly for her work with an electric vehicle company, a routine thats been interrupted by lengthy mandated quarantine stays since the pandemic began. Of the two vaccine options available in the city one from Sinovac…