Tokyo and Seoul protest against Beijing’s cancellation of visas for their citizens

Japan and South Korea defended the medical restrictions they placed on travelers from China a day after Beijing stopped issuing new visas to citizens of both countries in response.

Pak Jin, South Korean foreign minister, deeply regretted China’s cessation of short-stay visas for South Koreans and urged China to “bring its handling of the virus in line with scientific and objective facts.”

In turn, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno criticized China for unilaterally restricting the issuance of visas to Japanese citizens for a reason unrelated to measures to combat coronavirus.

Matsuno said that Tokyo filed a protest asking China to lift the measures, and that his country “will take appropriate measures by closely monitoring the situation with the virus in China and how the Chinese side handles the issue of information disclosure.”

He added that Japan should take temporary measures to avoid the rapid spread of the infection in Japan due to its spread in China and the lack of transparency of the situation there, noting that Japan’s border measures are only aimed at preventing the spread of infection and limiting the consequences that are detrimental to international trips.

The Chinese Embassies in Tokyo and Seoul announced the suspension of visa issuance for citizens of the two countries through brief notices on their website without giving reasons or details, such as when issuance will resume.

South Korea’s Disease Control and Prevention Agency said about 17 percent of the 2,550 people who arrived from China tested positive for the virus between January 2 and 10.

South Korea stopped issuing most short-stay visas to Chinese at its consulates in China until the end of January, while all arrivals from China, Hong Kong and Macau were required to submit a negative test result within 48 hours of their arrival in Korea. and also pass the test at the airport.

Source: AP

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