China's suspension of visa issuance; why and would it affect bilateral relations in long-term?

중국, 한국인 단기비자 전면 중단 경제적 파급력, 장기화 가능성은? As China abruptly dropped its zero-COVID policy, the country faced an unprecedented wave of the virus. Though China stopped providing daily statistics, overwhelmed hospital beds and crematoriums showed the surge in COVID-19 cases. With the surge seen in China, South Korea, starting January 5th, imposed a new rule mandating travelers from China to submit negative COVID-19 test results before entering the country. Many other countries adopted similar rules. Yet, while saying such measures are "discriminatory," Beijing suspended short-term visa issuance for travelers from South Korea and Japan, and even stopped transit visa exemption. Why only South Korea and Japan? Is there going to be an impact on South Korea? For an in-depth analysis on China's visa service restrictions, we invited Arirang's foreign affairs correspondent Choi Min-jung who has been closely following this issue, Min-jung, welcome to the show. And we also have Mason Richey, professor of international politics from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. Professor, welcome and thank you so much for your time. Q1. Citing “discriminatory entry restrictions against China" as the reason, Beijing imposed visa restrictions on South Korea and Japan. Could you briefly explain to us what exactly they are and when they were imposed? Right, last week, China decided to suspend its short-term visa services for South Koreans. And this move was seemingly in retaliation for Seoul's strengthened antivirus measures for inbound travelers from China. The announcement was made last Tuesday by the Chinese Embassy in Seoul via WeChat, citing orders from Beijing. And the embassy also stated that the measure will be adjusted, depending on whether Seoul decides to withdraw what Beijing calls, "discriminatory entry restrictions against China". The measure means South Korean nationals can no longer get short-term visas for travel. And on Wednesday,.. Beijing added restrictions,.. saying that it will also require transit visas for South Koreans passing through China on the way to other countries. This is something they were previously exempt from. Now transit visas are needed for travelers who need to stop at a Chinese airport for longer than 24 hours. And China also halted issuing port visas for South Korean citizens as well. Q2. Wang Wenbin, the spokesperson of China’s Foreign Ministry said it was reciprocal measures based on discrimination against China. But is it “reciprocal” or should we really say “retaliatory”? Q3. More than 15 countries have imposed COVID-19 testing requirements on Chinese travelers, but South Korea and Japan were the only ones to have to take the brunt of Beijing’s new visa curbs. Why is that? Q4. Meanwhile, China has been showing a very different approach to Australia and the U.S., is that right? Right,.. the U.S. and Australia are among more than a dozen countries that have imposed restrictions on travelers from China. And while South Korea and Japan were slapped with China's tit-for-tat restrictions, Beijing, as you said, has shown a different approach to these countries,.. by promoting the resumption of flights. Ever since the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, China suspended most flights in and out of the country. But now, most restrictions have been dropped. So last week, China said it's preparing to increase the number of flight routes between China and the U.S., following the lifting of its anti-virus measures. And Chinese airlines are also ramping up flights to Australia, with hopes of seeing a rapid rebound in travel between the two countries. Q5. A big difference indeed, in terms of how China reacted to neighboring countries compared to others. Some say this is a diplomatic strategy -ensuring that countries remain on guard. Could this be the reason, or is it just proof of an unbalanced relationship? Q6. The timing of China’s visa curb being issued is quite interesting. MJ, as far as I know, this came just one day after Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang and his South Korean counterpart, Park Jin held phone talks. What did they discuss? Last Monday, South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin held phone talks with his new Chinese counterpart to offer congratulations on his recent inauguration. It was the first phone talks between the two, and both sides reaffirmed their commitment to boosting bilateral relations, and discussed pending issues on the Korean Peninsula. But,.. the two also touched on issues surrounding South Korea's latest curbs on entrants from China... #China #Visa #Arirang_News 📣 Facebook :   / arirangtvnews   📣 Twitter :   / arirangtvnews   📣 Homepage : https://v2.arirang.com/ 2023-01-16, 18:30 (KST)