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China Imposes New Travel Curbs on South Korean, Japanese Travelers

by VOA News

   China is taking further retaliatory steps against South Korea and Japan
   over the two countries' strict coronavirus testing requirements on
   Chinese visitors.

   China's National Immigration Administration announced Wednesday it is
   suspending its travel visa exemptions for South Korean and Japanese
   nationals. The decision comes a day after Beijing suspended issuing
   short-term visas for citizens of both countries.

   Beijing abruptly reversed its strict "zero-Covid" strategy on December
   7. The strategy, first imposed in 2020, included swift and severe
   lockdowns, quarantines and mass testing in several cities with a
   significant COVID-19 outbreak. It triggered unusual and intense public
   protests across many Chinese cities and an economic downturn due to
   factory shutdowns.

   But the end of the "zero-Covid" strategy has also led to an apparent
   resurgence of the virus, prompting several nations, including South
   Korea and Japan, to impose new travel requirements on Chinese visitors,
   such as undergoing rapid COVID-19 testing upon arrival and mandatory
   quarantine if the person tests positive for the virus.

   The World Health Organization said earlier this week China is
   withholding data involving this latest COVID-19 outbreak.

   Some information for this report came from Agence France-Presse and
   Reuters.