China blocks S Korea and Japan visitors in Covid rules retaliation

China has stopped issuing short-term visas to individuals from South Korea and Japan successful retaliation for Covid restrictions connected Chinese travellers.

Visas for South Koreans entering China arsenic tourists person been suspended, Beijing's embassy successful Seoul said.

And Japanese media reported China was imposing akin measures there.

It's a tit-for-tat determination which Beijing says volition stay successful spot until "discriminatory" introduction restrictions against China are lifted.

Last week, South Korea stopped issuing tourer visas for those coming from China, which the Chinese overseas ministry called "unacceptable" and "unscientific".

Reacting to China's latest move, South Korea's overseas ministry told the BBC that its argumentation towards arrivals from China was "in accordance with technological and nonsubjective evidence".

Japan meantime is presently allowing Chinese visitors into the state - provided they trial antagonistic for Covid.

According to South Korea's Disease Control and Prevention Agency, astir a 3rd of each arrivals from China tested affirmative for Covid anterior to the visa restrictions being enactment successful place.

At Seoul's Incheon International airdrome - the lone South Korean airdrome inactive allowing flights from China - arrivals are met by subject unit successful idiosyncratic protective equipment.

The BBC managed to talk to immoderate of them arsenic they were escorted to the airdrome investigating centre.

"Personally, I deliberation it's OK. I person been done overmuch worse during this pandemic," said William, a businessman from Shanghai. "As a traveller I conscionable effort to comply with the policies are overmuch arsenic possible."

But different rider disagreed.

"In my caput it's not technological astatine all," said Emily, who arrived from Hong Kong. She, similar those coming from mainland China, was required to test.

"I consciousness similar it's a small spot unfair connected this side. They indispensable consciousness truly unsafe, I suppose."

Many South Koreans enactment the thought of protecting their state from China's coronavirus surge - but not each are convinced that the determination is simply a purely aesculapian one.

"There is simply a governmental constituent to it and the narration betwixt the 2 countries isn't a bully one. A batch of Korean radical clasp a batch of animosity blaming China for the coronavirus," said Jinsun, who was heading to Abu Dhabi.

Another pistillate going connected her honeymoon to Paris said South Korea mightiness not person implemented specified rules if the state acrophobic wasn't China.

"But past again, immoderate we did, China would person a occupation with it," she said.

The South Korean curbs are expected to past astatine slightest until the extremity of the month, which would springiness scientists clip to analyse for immoderate imaginable caller variants coming from China.

"There's nary transparency astatine the infinitesimal successful China astir immoderate monitoring for caller variants. If a caller variant comes from China, it would beryllium a precise hard concern for the full world," Professor Kim Woo Joo, an infectious diseases adept astatine Korea University and a authorities adviser, told the BBC.

"It would besides beryllium a catastrophe for the Korean healthcare system. We presently person a batch of hospitalisations and deaths already and our aged radical are besides under-vaccinated. This is what we are disquieted about."

At the moment, lone a tiny fig of concern oregon diplomatic travellers from China are being allowed into South Korea. They indispensable trial antagonistic earlier departure and besides connected arrival.

One Chinese antheral who tested affirmative escaped from a autobus taking him to a quarantine edifice adjacent the airport. Two days aboriginal helium was caught by constabulary successful a edifice successful Seoul.