China suspends short-term visas for S Korean, Japanese visitors
China has suspended issuing some visas for South Korea and Japan in Beijing's first retaliation against Covid-related curbs on Chinese travellers.
Chinese consulates in South Korea will stop issuing short-term visas for visits, business, tourism, medical care, transit and personal matters from Tuesday, said the Chinese Embassy in Seoul said.
The suspension will be adjusted if South Korea removes its "discriminative inbound restrictive measures" targeting China, it added.
China also suspended visa issuance to Japanese travellers, Kyodo News reported, citing unidentified people in the travel industry.
The moves represent China's first attempt at retaliation after a raft of nations recently implemented testing requirements for travellers from the country.
The dismantling of China's Covid-Zero policy after almost three years has sparked a deluge of infections that, combined with a lack of information about how many people are sick or dying, has raised concerns over the possibility that new virus strains will emerge.
The announcement comes a day after Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang expressed concern about the restrictions in a telephone call with his South Korean counterpart Park Jin, according to China's foreign ministry.
Following the announcement, South Korea foreign ministry spokesman Lim Soo-suk said: "The Korean government's strengthened prevention measures for entrants from China are based on scientific and objective grounds.
Following the announcement, a South Korean foreign ministry spokesman said: "Our government's enhanced quarantine measures on travellers from China are based on scientific and objective evidence."
"We have been transparently exchanging related information with the international community, and have also been communicating with the Chinese side."
South Korea began requiring travellers from China to undergo a PCR test upon arrival from last week, joining a growing list of countries imposing border restrictions amid concern over infections following China's decision to end its zero-Covid policies.
South Korea said in late-December that it would require Covid-19 tests for all travellers from China by end of February, and would limit short-term visa issuance until end of January. It also put the further increase in the number of flights from China on hold and directed existing flights to one airport.
China had warned earlier in January that it would hit back against such moves.
Last week, South Korean police tracked down a Chinese man who went missing while awaiting quarantine after having tested positive for Covid-19 upon arrival.
The spat will likely rekindle memories of China's decision to dramatically scale back trade with South Korea in 2017 after then-president Moon Jae-in agreed to host the Thaad US anti-missile system. Mr Moon's successor, President Yoon Suk-yeol, has in recent months raised Beijing's ire by pledging to work more closely with the United States, including expanding the missile shield.
The incident raised concern about the spread of the virus from China after Beijing abruptly abandoned its tough zero-Covid policy and opened its borders despite widespread domestic infections.
South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol said on Monday the country's border measures should focus strictly on the safety of its citizens.
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