China "Actively Considering Lifting Visa Restrictions on Koreans"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Haeyoung] On the 10th, the Chinese government announced that it will actively consider lifting the restrictions on issuing short-term visas to Koreans. This statement came after the Korean government decided to resume visa issuance 40 days after suspending short-term visa issuance from China.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Mao Ning, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a briefing that "lifting the visa restrictions on Koreans is the right step to reduce obstacles to people-to-people exchanges between the two countries."

He emphasized, "China will actively consider resuming the issuance of short-term visas to Koreans on an equal basis."

On the same day in the morning, the Korean government lifted the restrictions on short-term visa issuance, stating that the spread of COVID-19 in China has peaked and the positive rate among arrivals from China remains low. The positive rate among short-term visitors from China tested at the airport initially rose to the 30% range but dropped to 1.4% from May 29 to June 4.