China halts short-term visas for S. Koreans, Japanese over Covid journey curbs

The measure was introduced first in South Korea, which has launched a number of recent guidelines for guests from China, together with visa restrictions and testing necessities.

It joined greater than a dozen nations which have imposed new journey guidelines over worries of surging Covid-19 infections in China.

“Chinese language embassies and consulates in Korea will droop the issuance of short-term visas for Korean residents,” Beijing’s embassy in Seoul mentioned.

It mentioned the measures can be “adjusted once more in keeping with South Korea’s removing of the discriminatory entry restrictions on China”.

China presently points no vacationer visas and requires a damaging Covid take a look at for all arrivals.

Beijing’s embassy in Tokyo introduced in a short assertion late on Tuesday that the issuing of visas for Japanese residents would even be halted, giving no particular motive or indication of how lengthy the measure would final.

Seoul can be capping flights from China, and travellers from the mainland, Hong Kong and Macau should take a look at damaging earlier than departure.

Seoul’s international minister has defended the measures as being “in accordance with scientific proof”.

Mainland guests are additionally being examined on arrival and are required to quarantine for per week in the event that they take a look at optimistic, authorities have mentioned.

Japan will now require arrivals from mainland China and Macau to check earlier than journey and on arrival, a measure not presently required of different travellers.

Flights from the mainland can solely land at particular airports, though Hong Kong arrivals are exempt from the brand new guidelines.

Headlines in South Korea have been dominated by the case of a Chinese language nationwide who examined optimistic on arriving in Seoul, refused to quarantine after which fled, sparking a two-day manhunt.

Police ultimately discovered the Chinese language nationwide, who was not recognized however was described as a medical vacationer. The customer will likely be questioned this week over the infraction, South Korean media reported.

In response to official figures, 2,224 Chinese language nationals on short-term visas have landed in South Korea since January 2, with 17.5 % testing optimistic on arrival.

South Korea has restricted its issuance of short-term visas for Chinese language nationals to public officers, diplomats, and people with essential humanitarian and enterprise functions till the tip of January.

All flights from China are additionally now required to land at South Korea’s primary Incheon Worldwide Airport.

South Korea’s southernmost Jeju Island, which has its personal worldwide airport and separate visa entry regime, had been a preferred vacationer vacation spot for Chinese language arrivals earlier than the pandemic.

Seoul is “inevitably strengthening some anti-epidemic measures to stop the unfold of the virus in our nation because of the worsening Covid-19 scenario in China”, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo mentioned final month in saying the measures.

South Korea’s international ministry mentioned in a press release Seoul “communicated with China prematurely” concerning the measures and that the data was “shared transparently with the worldwide group”.

Beijing’s international ministry mentioned it was “regrettable” that “a number of nations nonetheless insist on discriminatory entry restrictions in opposition to China”.

The ministry’s spokesman, Wang Wenbin, mentioned China was “firmly opposed” to the restrictions, with out commenting particularly on its choice to droop issuing visas to South Koreans.

“We as soon as once more name on related nations to take scientific and acceptable measures primarily based on details,” Wang mentioned, discouraging what he characterised as “political manoeuvring and… discriminatory practices”.

China’s hospitals have been overwhelmed by an explosion in instances after Beijing started unwinding hardline controls that had torpedoed the economic system and sparked nationwide protests.

Vacationers from China accounted for the biggest proportion of all international vacationers visiting South Korea in each 2019 and 2020, making up 34.4 % and 27.2 % respectively, in keeping with Seoul’s official knowledge.

However the variety of Chinese language vacationers dropped considerably final yr — from 6.02 million in 2019 to 200,000 for January to November 2022 — making up solely 7.5 % of all vacationers from abroad, South Korea’s tradition ministry advised AFP.

Chinese language vacationers additionally made up round a 3rd of all guests to Japan earlier than the pandemic.

 

This story has been printed from a wire company feed with out modifications to the textual content.