China suspends short-term visas for South Koreans due to Covid-19 restrictions.
China stopped broadcasting short term visas to the south koreansits embassy said, after Seoul imposed travel restrictions on travelers from China amid concerns over the outbreak of Covid-19 in the country.
It is the first retaliatory move by Beijing against countries that have introduced new measures on arrivals from China, which suddenly abandoned its strict zero-Covid policy in December, causing the virus to spread rapidly.
Tensions between China and South Korea
The announcement comes a day after Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang raised concerns about the restrictions in a phone call with his South Korean counterpart Park Jin, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
South Korea’s Park told Qin the new border restrictions were “based on science and targeting,” according to his office.
“Chinese embassies and consulates in Korea will suspend the issuance of short-term visas for Korean citizens,” the Chinese embassy in Seoul announced, adding that the measures would be “adjusted again in line with South Korea’s removal of visas.” discriminatory entry restrictions to China.
South Korea is among countries including Australia, France and the United States that have introduced measures targeting travelers from China amid a surge in Covid-19 cases and concerns about a lack of transparency in official data, including the appearance of new variants.
Seoul’s measures are among the most onerous, including visa restrictions, testing requirements and some flight limits. Passengers from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau must test negative before travel and are retested upon arrival.
Those who test positive must quarantine for a week, officials said. Beijing currently does not issue tourist visas and requires a negative Covid-19 test of all arrivals.
A Chinese national who tested positive upon arrival in Seoul refused to quarantine and fled, sparking a two-day manhunt that dominated South Korean headlines.
Police eventually found the traveler, who was not identified but described as a medical tourist, and will be questioned this week, according to local media.
It may interest you: ‘Zero COVID’ measures in China are rejected by the WHO
Hospitals in China have been overwhelmed by Covid-19 cases
Official figures show that 2,224 Chinese nationals on short-term visas have landed in South Korea since Jan. 2, with 17.5 percent testing positive on arrival.
Seoul is “unavoidably strengthening some anti-epidemic measures to prevent the spread of the virus in our country due to the worsening Covid-19 situation in China,” Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said last month when announcing the measures.
Hospitals in China have been overwhelmed with cases since Beijing began to reopen after nationwide protests fueled growing frustration over three years of strict controls that failed to eliminate the virus.
Follow us on Google news, Facebook Y Twitter to keep you informed with today’s news!
