China blocks visas for S Korea and Japan over Covid restrictions (2023)
 Posted on : Jan 11, 2023, 12:32PM   27 total views  Category : World

chinese tourist walks into Incheon testing centre

Incheon is the only airport in South Korea where flights from China can land

 

China has stopped issuing short-term visas to individuals from South Korea and Japan in retaliation for Covid restrictions on Chinese travellers.

 

Beijing says the pause on South Korean visas will remain in place until "discriminatory" entry restrictions against China are lifted.

 

Japan and South Korea are not the only countries imposing entry requirements on travellers from China, where Covid cases are surging, but their measures are among the most stringent.

 

Last week, South Korea stopped issuing tourist visas for those coming from China, which the Chinese foreign ministry called "unacceptable" and "unscientific".

 

Japan, meanwhile, is currently allowing Chinese visitors into the country - provided they test negative for Covid. This is similar to the UK and the US, but Japan is also restricting flights from China to certain Japanese cities.

 

Beijing's embassies in both Seoul and Tokyo confirmed the new visa restrictions for visitors to China.

Read more here

 

-- Courtesy of BBC News

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