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COVID: China in retaliatory move against South Korea, Japan

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China has taken retaliatory measures against South Korea and Japan by suspending issuing some categories of visas against Covid-related restrictions on Chinese travelers.

The Chinese government, in a statement on Tuesday, said its consulates in South Korea will stop issuing short-term visas for visits, business, tourism, medical care, transit and personal matters with immediate effect.

The Chinese statement however, said the suspension will be adjusted if South Korea removes its “discriminative inbound restrictive measures” targeting China.

In a similar development, Beijing said it has also stopped issuing visas to China-bound travelers from Japan as of Tuesday, according to a spokesperson for a major Tokyo travel agency who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter.

Read also:Nigeria on alert as COVID-19 cases rise in China, US

The moves, according to aviation exierts, represent China’s first attempt at retaliation after a raft of nations recently implemented testing requirements for travelers from the country.

The dismantling of China’s Covid Zero policy after almost three years has sparked a deluge of infections that, combined with a lack of information about how many people are sick or dying, has raised concerns over the possibility that new virus strains will emerge.

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