China visa curbs on Koreans, Japanese

Eunice Lam and Agencies

Beijing imposed retaliatory measures yesterday against South Korea and Japan, which had thrust Covid entry curbs on Chinese travelers after Beijing reopened its borders following three years of coronavirus-caused isolation.

Hong Kong travelers have also been affected as flights from the SAR as well as Macau to South Korea were only allowed to land at Incheon International Airport from yesterday.

That was hours after China suspended issuing short-term visas for South Korean and Japanese visitors in a spat over the two countries' Covid restrictions on Chinese visitors.

China's embassy in Japan also confirmed last night that the issuance of visas to Japanese travelers has been suspended.

The Korean consulate general in Hong Kong said all arrivals from the two SARs must enter South Korea via Incheon - the main airport for Seoul - until February 28.

Those travelers are restricted from taking domestic flights at Incheon and must seek other transportation if going to other cities such as Busan and Jeju.

South Korea earlier required travelers from the two SARs to hold a Covid negative certificate before departure, while mainland travelers had to take extra PCR tests upon arrival.

Some mainland travelers complained online about "discriminatory" action by South Korea, including a need to wear a yellow badge until they had obtained a negative result of the arrival PCR test - paid by the travelers - and being subjected to media attention.

Similar arrangements were in fact seen when Hong Kong launched one of its quarantine arrangements in September. Overseas arrivals were given a colored badge - green for Hong Kong residents - when awaiting rapid antigen tests at the airport, though they were not made to wear them.

The flurry of action came after Beijing's embassy in Seoul announced yesterday that it had stopped issuing short-term visas for Koreans, including visits for trade, tourism and medical treatment.

The embassy said on WeChat that it would "adjust" its latest visa rules subject to the lifting of South Korea's "discriminatory entry restrictions" against China.

It was also Beijing's first retaliatory move against countries imposing Covid curbs on travelers from the mainland after it reopened borders on Sunday even as the virus spread unchecked across China.

Beijing's embassy in Seoul said Foreign Minister Qin Gang expressed concern about the restrictions in a phone call with his South Korean counterpart Park Jin on Monday.

South Korean officials followed by saying its restrictions on travelers from China were objective and based on science.

According to South Korean figures, 17.5 percent of 9,802 Chinese travelers on short-term visas since January 2 had tested positive upon arrival.

From Tokyo, Kyodo News reported that China had stopped issuing visas to Japanese, adding that travel agencies in Japan had been notified of the suspension.

In Beijing, a foreign ministry spokesman said Covid prevention measures should not be discriminatory. They should also not affect the normal exchanges of people between China and other countries, he added.

Airlines offering direct flights between Hong Kong and South Korea, such as Cathay Pacific and Korean Air, said their flights only land at Incheon.

But Yonhap News Agency reported that SAR budget airline HK Express planned to resume its flights from Hong Kong to Busan and Jeju during the Lunar New Year holiday.

On that, HK Express told The Standard that the airline continues to engage with authorities in Korea and that flights to and from Incheon airport will continue to operate as scheduled.

But a spokesman for Hong Kong's Transport and Logistics Bureau said the SAR is highly concerned about the restrictions and considers them unreasonable. And SAR officials had contacted Korean authorities and pushed to have the restrictions lifted.

Meanwhile, Thailand rescinded an entry rule introduced over the weekend that required travelers to show proof of health insurance and vaccination.

eunice.lam@singtaonewscorp.com