On Wednesday, Japan and South Korea defended public health restrictions on travelers from China, a day after China stopped issuing new visas in both countries in apparent retaliation.
Chinese embassies stopped issuing new visas for South Koreans and Japanese on Tuesday.
South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin said Wednesday he finds “significantly regrettable” that China stopped issuing short-term visas to South Koreans and called for China to align its pandemic steps with “scientific and objective facts.”
According to South Korea’s Disease Control and Prevention Agency, about 17% of the 2,550 short-term travelers from China from Jan. 2 to Tuesday have tested positive.
South Korea has stopped issuing most short-term visas at its consulates in China through the end of January while also requiring all passengers from China, Hong Kong and Macau to submit proofs of negative tests taken within 48 hours of their arrival in addition to COVID-19 tests at the airport.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno criticized Beijing for “one-sidedly” restricting visa issuance to the Japanese nationals “because of a reason that is not related to COVID-19 measures."
Matsuno noted that Japan had to take temporary measures to avoid rapid inflow of infections into Japan because of China’s spreading infections and lack of transparency about the situation.
China’s Foreign Ministry threatened countermeasures last week against countries that had announced new virus testing requirements for travelers from China. At least 10 governments in Europe, North America and Asia have done so recently.
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