BEIJING (AP) — China on Tuesday suspended visas for South Koreans arriving in the country for tourism or business, in apparent retaliation for South Korea’s requirement that Chinese travelers be tested for COVID-19, according to an announcement by the Chinese embassy from Seoul. .
Japan’s Kyodo News said the ban would also affect Japanese travelers. A Japanese Foreign Ministry official said the government is aware of the report and is holding informal talks with Chinese authorities about measures being considered by Beijing. It would be “unfortunate” if restrictions were imposed, the official said, speaking on the usual condition of anonymity.
The short notice, posted on the embassy’s WeChat account, said the ban would continue until South Korea lifted its “discriminatory measures on China’s entry” into the country.
No further details were provided, although China has threatened retaliation against countries that require travelers from China to show a negative COVID-19 test result in the past 48 hours. The announcement appeared to apply only to new applicants and said nothing about South Koreans currently holding visas.
South Korea’s foreign ministry said in a statement that “our government’s step to strengthen anti-virus measures for passengers arriving from China is based on scientific and objective evidence. We provided information to the international community in a transparent manner and communicated with the Chinese side in advance.”
China’s refusal to grant visas to South Korean or Japanese businessmen could delay the resumption of full business and potential new investment after China’s sudden lifting of anti-virus controls.
Business groups have previously warned that global firms were withdrawing investment plans from China because it was too difficult for foreign executives to visit. A handful of auto and other foreign executives have visited China in the past three years, but companies have relied on Chinese employees or managers already in the country to run their operations.
A South Korean restaurant owner in Beijing said the announcement had forced friends to postpone plans to visit China. He spoke on condition of anonymity out of concern that his business could be affected. He added that he is preparing to renew his Chinese work visa and does not know if it will be affected.
China has not yet said when it might resume issuing tourist visas on a large scale.
In a telephone conversation with his South Korean counterpart, Park Jin, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang “expressed his concern” about the measures taken by South Korea and said he “hoped that the South Korean side will maintain an objective and scientific attitude”.
China’s move appeared to be based on its demands that its citizens be treated equally with those of other countries. About a dozen countries have followed the US in requiring negative tests for travelers from China, which has lifted most of its “zero-Covid” restrictions for the first time in three years but has also faced a major outbreak since last month.
In a daily briefing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin defended China’s anti-pandemic measures, adding that “Unfortunately, a handful of countries, ignoring science, facts and domestic reality, have insisted on adopting discriminatory measures. ” entry restrictions targeted by China. China strongly rejected this and took reciprocal measures.”
Wang did not directly answer questions about suspending visas for South Koreans and Japanese, saying only that he “said very clearly.”
The World Health Organization and several nations have accused China of withholding data on its epidemic. The testing requirements are aimed at identifying potential variants of the virus carried by travelers.
China’s ambassador to Australia said those nations’ response to China’s COVID-19 outbreak was not proportionate or constructive.
Xiao Qian told reporters in Canberra that China changed its strategy late last year from preventing infections to preventing serious cases. He said countries should use a science-based response.
“Entry restrictions, if targeted by China, are unnecessary,” the ambassador told reporters.
“If you look at other countries in the world and their policies towards China, I mean their responsible measures towards China are (not) constructive. It is not based on science. It’s not proportional,” he said.
The Seoul embassy’s online announcement did not explain why China chose South Korea in retaliation, although the deeply nationalist government of President and Communist Party leader Xi Jinping has long resented Seoul’s alliance with the United States.
Once cordial ties between South Korea and its main trading partner have soured after China targeted businesses, sports teams and even K-pop groups to protest the deployment of an advanced US anti-missile system in South Korea. China fought alongside North Korea in the 1950s-1953 War and has remained a supporter of the North amid missile launches and nuclear tests and has opposed further sanctions against the hardline government of Kim Jong Un.
Last month, China abruptly abandoned its strict pandemic isolation requirements in response to what it says is the changing nature of the outbreak. This came after three years of lockdowns, quarantines and mass testing that sparked protests on the streets of Beijing and other major cities not seen in three decades.
The most optimistic forecasts say that trade and consumption activity in China could return as early as the first quarter of this year. But before that happens, business owners and families are facing a painful squeeze as the surge in virus cases has left employers without enough healthy workers and kept wary customers away from malls, restaurants, hair salons and sports.
Xi’s government’s decision to end controls that have shuttered factories and kept millions at home will prolong the economic recovery but could stall activity this year as businesses scramble to adapt, forecasters say.
China is now seeing a surge in cases and hospitalizations in major cities and is bracing for further spread in less developed areas as the Lunar New Year travel rush begins in the coming days. While international flights are still down, authorities say they expect domestic rail and air travel to double from the same period last year, bringing the overall numbers closer to those of the 2019 holiday period, before pandemic.
Associated Press writer Joe McDonald in Beijing contributed to this report.
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