China to Resume Issuance of Short-Term Visas for Koreans from the 18th

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Kim Hyunjung] The Chinese government will resume issuing short-term visas to Korean nationals starting from the 18th.

On the 15th, the Embassy of China in Korea and the Consulate General announced via their website and social media platform WeChat that they will resume issuing short-term visas for purposes including visiting China, commercial trade, and general personal matters starting from the 18th.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Previously, the Korean government had suspended the issuance of short-term visas to entrants from China starting from the 2nd of last month due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19. In response, China announced on the 10th of the same month that it would stop issuing visas to Korean nationals. As the quarantine situation improved, the Korean government resumed issuing visas to entrants from China on the 11th of this month, and China is understood to have responded accordingly. On the 13th, Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated at a regular briefing regarding the resumption of short-term visa issuance for Korean nationals traveling to China, "South Korea's lifting of visa restrictions on China is a correct step to reduce obstacles to personnel exchanges between the two countries," and added, "China is seriously considering this."

However, full normalization of travel between the two countries' citizens is expected to occur after the increase in flights and relaxation of group tourism-related policies. Currently, flights between Korea and China amount to about 60 per week, which is only 5% of the pre-COVID-19 level. While Korea has resumed issuing short-term visas, it has maintained the flight increase and entry route restrictions implemented during the same period. Currently, entrants from China can only enter Korea through Incheon International Airport.

Attention is also focused on whether the mandatory COVID-19 tests before and after entry, which both countries currently require, will be lifted. Korea and China currently require polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for entrants from the other country. A diplomatic source predicted, "China's recent COVID-19 situation is stabilizing, and the positivity rate among entrants is low, so it is expected that this will naturally be resolved."

If the COVID-19 testing requirement is lifted and bilateral relations improve, group tourism is also expected to be permitted. China resumed group travel for 20 overseas countries starting from the 6th, and these countries have no entry restrictions such as PCR testing for Chinese nationals. Korea, Japan, and the United States were excluded from the list of permitted countries.