China's Covid test policy irks Koreans, seen as retaliation

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China's Covid test policy irks Koreans, seen as retaliation

Arrivals from Korea are guided to take their Covid-19 tests at the Weihai Dashuibo Airport in Shandong Province on Wednesday. [YONHAP]

Arrivals from Korea are guided to take their Covid-19 tests at the Weihai Dashuibo Airport in Shandong Province on Wednesday. [YONHAP]

 
China is testing all passengers arriving from Korea for Covid-19 from Wednesday except for Chinese nationals.
 
All foreigners arriving from Korea at airports in Yanji, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Guangzhou and Wuhan had to undergo either a PCR test or a rapid antigen test, according to sources.  
 
China had said earlier that all passengers arriving from Korea would be tested.
 
The move is being interpreted by some in Korea as a retaliation to Korea’s requirement for PCR tests for all arrivals from China and the suspension of short-term visa issuance to Chinese nationals.
 
Korea currently requires all arrivals from China, including Korean nationals, to test for Covid-19.
 
“The inevitable decision was made to respond appropriately to the discriminatory act of Korea against Chinese nationals,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said during a press briefing on Wednesday.
 
Local sources said passengers were classified into nationalities and Covid-19 tests were only done for passengers with foreign nationalities.
 
The tests are free and passengers were allowed to go home as soon as they were done with their tests, according to Yonhap.
 
The Korean government stopped issuing short-term visas to Chinese nationals on Jan. 2 as the number of Covid-19 infections surged in China. All arrivals from China are required to submit a negative test result for Covid-19 before departing to Korea and go through a mandatory PCR test.
 
A week later on Jan. 10, the Chinese government said it will stop issuing short-term visas to Korean nationals.  
 
Korea extended the short-term visa restriction for another month to Feb. 28, but said it will review lifting the ban if the number of infections in China falls on Tuesday.
 
China previously lifted all mandatory testing of arrivals from Jan. 8, as well as mandatory quarantine.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO, HYEON YE-SEUL [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]
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