‘A face issue’: China likely to retaliate against more countries over Covid-19 travel curbs

Name: South Korean street vendors eagerly await Chinese tourists amid tit-for-tat Covid travel measures
Uploaded: 2023-01-10T14:30:19.000Z
Duration: 3 min 1 s
Description: South Korean street vendors eagerly await Chinese tourists amid tit-for-tat Covid travel measures

Short-term visas were suspended for South Koreans and Japanese in response to restrictions on Chinese travellers

Analysts expect Beijing to cautiously weigh up moves against other nations to avoid bilateral ties being compromised

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Chinese tourists are guided to get tested on arrival at Seoul’s Incheon International Airport in South Korea on January 4. Photo: Reuters

Kawala Xie

Published: 10:30pm, 10 Jan 2023

China is expected to cautiously weigh up retaliatory measures against other nations that have imposed Covid restrictions on Chinese travellers, analysts said, after it suspended short-term visas for South Koreans and Japanese.

But they said Beijing was not expected to go beyond the restrictions taken by other nations to avoid bilateral relations being compromised.

China abandoned its zero-Covid policy in early December and reopened its borders for international travel on Sunday – a move welcomed by the foreign business community. But some countries have announced restrictions on arrivals from China, citing concerns over the country’s recent Covid-19 surge and the emergence of a new variant.

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South Korean street vendors eagerly await Chinese tourists amid tit-for-tat Covid travel measures

The United States, Canada, Australia, Germany, South Korea, Japan and India all require Covid-19 tests for passengers from China. Germany has also discouraged non-essential trips to China, while South Korea has suspended issuing short-term visas to Chinese travellers until January 31.

On Tuesday, China said it had suspended tourism and business visas for South Korean nationals. The Chinese embassy in Tokyo also said China had suspended issuing some visas to Japanese travellers until further notice.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin warned of more “reciprocal measures” against restrictions that are not “scientific”.

“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,” Wang said.

“China firmly opposes this and will take reciprocal measures.”