Withdrawal of Suspension Announcement After 19 Days
Restrictions on Visa Issuance Extended Against Korea Remain
"South Asian Countries Are the Biggest Winners in Chinese Tourism"
[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Kim Hyun-jung] China lifted its suspension of visa issuance to Japanese nationals 19 days after announcing the measure. However, it still does not issue general visas to South Korea, which has extended its existing restrictions on short-term visas to China until next month.
The Chinese Embassy in Japan announced on the afternoon of the 29th via its official WeChat social media account, "Starting today, the Chinese Embassy and consulates in Japan have resumed issuing general visas to Japanese nationals." General visas refer to visas excluding diplomatic, official, and courtesy visas.
Earlier, when China announced on the 26th of last month that it would effectively abandon its zero-COVID policy and ease quarantine measures, Japan responded the next day by mandating COVID-19 testing for arrivals from China. On the 8th of this month, Japan made submission of a negative test certificate mandatory. However, Japan did not impose restrictions such as limiting visa issuance to Chinese nationals. Nevertheless, on the 10th, China temporarily suspended the issuance of general visas to South Korean and Japanese nationals as retaliation for Japan's strengthened quarantine measures, and announced the suspension of visa-on-arrival issuance the following day.
The resumption of visa issuance to Japan came 19 days after the initial suspension announcement. It appears that Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly protested and demanded the withdrawal of China’s visa retaliation, arguing that it was excessive compared to China’s own quarantine measures, which only mandated COVID-19 testing.
On the other hand, China’s retaliatory measures against South Korea continue without a separate suspension announcement. This is interpreted as a 'reciprocal measure' based on the principle of mutuality that China has mentioned previously. The South Korean government has not issued short-term visas to Chinese nationals since the 2nd of this month, citing a surge in COVID-19 infections in China. The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters extended this suspension on the 27th, stating that although China’s quarantine situation is improving, the possibility of a resurgence due to increased spread after the Chunjie (Spring Festival, Chinese New Year) and overseas inflows cannot be ruled out.
Chinese state media have warned that South Korea will miss out on the tourism boom following China’s economic reopening. The Chinese Global Times (GT) reported, "China’s resumption of visa issuance to Japanese tourists is seen as a positive signal for travel and exchanges between China and Japan," while contrasting this with countries like South Korea and France, which have restricted Chinese entries. On the 28th, France announced it would extend mandatory COVID-19 testing for travelers from China until the 15th of next month.
GT emphasized, "While many countries desire economic growth fueled by contributions from Chinese nationals, the extension of restrictions by France and South Korea means these countries will miss out on the 'tourism dividend' from massive overseas travel demand," adding, "At the same time, many South Asian countries have welcomed tens of thousands of Chinese tourists, becoming the biggest winners of Chinese 'retaliatory tourism.'"
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