Tokyo, Japan

The spat over COVID-19 curbs on Chinese travellers escalated further on Wednesday when China introduced transit curbs for South Korean and Japanese nationals. China has reopened after three long years but several nations are introducing restrictions on Chinese travellers following which China had threatened retaliatory action. 

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Japan is protesting against China's decision of suspending visas for its citizens and asked Beijing to reverse its decision -- the retaliatory action that the Chinese government defended, calling it “reasonable.”

"It is regrettable that China unilaterally has taken visa suspension action for reasons other than steps for the coronavirus," Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said during a press conference on Wednesday, Reuters reported.

He emphasised that Japan's restrictions do not bar Chinese visitors from entering the nation. “We protested to China through diplomatic channels and demanded the removal of the measure,” he said, The Strait Times reported. Talking about Japan's border controls going forward, Matsuno said that the government will act appropriately in light of China's coronavirus crisis and its information revelation.

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State-run tabloid Global Times defended Beijing's retaliation as a "direct and reasonable response to protect its own legitimate interests, particularly after some countries are continuing hyping up China's epidemic situation by putting travel restrictions for political manipulation."

Also Read | COVID-19 curbs retaliation: China suspends short-term visas for South Koreans, Japanese

China's action followed Japan's toughening of COVID-19 border control regulations for travellers arriving directly from China, including the requirement for a negative PCR test result 72 hours prior to departure. Beijing slammed the testing requirements as "discriminatory."

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On Tuesday, in its first reprisal against COVID-19 restrictions imposed on Chinese travellers, China suspended issuing short-term visas for South Koreans and Japanese. The Chinese embassy in South Korea said that South Koreans would no longer be granted visas for the purpose of travel, business, medical treatment, transit, and general private affairs, South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported.

Other countries including the United States, South Korea, France, etc., have also introduced testing requirements in response to China's fresh Covid outbreak.

Watch | China dropped zero-Covid policy after massive protests

Earlier this month, Beijing warned to take action against "unacceptable" Covid actions. “We believe that the entry restrictions adopted by some countries targeting China lack scientific basis, and some excessive practices are even more unacceptable,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said.

Following China's decision to abandon its "zero Covid" policy in December last year, its residents and citizens began to demand international flights, raising concerns about the virus’ spread and China's underreporting of the cases.

(With inputs from agencies)

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