China drops PCR test requirement for travelers from Korea

A traveller to China waits in a check-in line at the Incheon International Airport on Feb. 23. [NEWS1]

The Chinese government lifted mandatory PCR tests for all arrivals from Korea on Friday.

China's aviation authorities and the Chinese embassy in Korea notified Korean airlines that operate Korea-China flights of the change on Friday, according to airline industry sources.

This rule change comes two days after Korea lifted PCR test mandates for arrivals from China starting Wednesday.

Travelers to China are still require to submit a negative PCR test result issued 48 hours prior to their departure. China maintains this protocol for all countries.

Most of the pre- and post-arrival health regulations are lifted for arrivals from both counties. Pre-arrival PCR tests and Q-code uploads for arrivals from China to Korea are scheduled to end next Friday.

The Korean government suspended the issuing of short-term visas for Chinese arrivals from Jan. 2 when Covid-19 cases surged in China after the Chinese government abandoned its zero-Covid policy. Beijing immediately retaliated by suspending short-term visas for Koreans on Jan. 10.

Korea started issuing short-term visas again for people traveling from China starting Feb. 11 as the ratio of those testing positive for Covid-19 on arrival dropped into the 1-percent range, and China lifted its short-term visa ban on Feb. 15.

BY LEE SU-MIN, SOHN DONG-JOO [sohn.dongjoo@joongang.co.kr]