China retaliates against travel restrictions by suspending short-term visas for Japanese and South Koreans
- Chinese embassy in South Korea says visas for business, tourism, medical treatment, transit and general private affairs are suspended for South Koreans
- Seoul ‘regretful’ for China’s action; foreign ministry says South Korea’s strengthened quarantine is ‘based on scientific and objective grounds’
Beijing has made good on its promise to retaliate against countries that impose entry restrictions on Chinese travellers by suspending the issuance of some visas for South Korean and Japanese citizens.
The move came after several countries adopted pandemic-related curbs on Chinese travellers, such as requiring Covid-19 tests before departure and limiting flights. Some of those measures have also affected Hong Kong.
“It is regrettable that a small number of countries still insist on adopting discriminatory entry restrictions against China in disregard of scientific facts and the actual situation of the pandemic in their own countries. China firmly opposes this and will take reciprocal measures,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Tuesday.
“We once again call on the relevant countries not to engage in political manipulation, not to have discriminatory practices, and not to affect normal personnel exchanges and cooperation between countries.”
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South Korea to require Covid-19 tests for travellers from China, joining US and Japan
