Visa politics

On Sunday, a one-sentence announcement appeared on the website of the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo.   "Starting today, we will resume the issuance of Chinese general visas to Japanese citizens," it said.   There was no explanation as to why the ban was lifted, just like there was little clarification about why the visa ban was imposed in the first place.   Japan had required stricter testing on people arriving from China as COVID-19 cases surged, but Japan had not halted visa issuances to Chinese travelers like South Korea had.   Visa measures are supposed to be reciprocal, but Beijing stopped issuing visas for Japanese and South Koreans alike.   The knee-jerk retaliation and the reversal, after just three weeks, signal policy confusion in Beijing.   Read this week's China Up Close by Katsuji Nakazawa here.	View in browser
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	China Up Close February 2, 2023

	China flip-flop on Japanese visas highlights further policy confusion On Sunday, a one-sentence announcement appeared on the website of the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo.   "Starting today, we will resume the issuance of Chinese general visas to Japanese citizens," it said.   There was no explanation as to why the ban was lifted, just like there was little clarification about why the visa ban was imposed in the first place.   Japan had required stricter testing on people arriving from China as COVID-19 cases surged, but Japan had not halted visa issuances to Chinese travelers like South Korea had.   Visa measures are supposed to be reciprocal, but Beijing stopped issuing visas for Japanese and South Koreans alike.   The knee-jerk retaliation and the reversal, after just three weeks, signal policy confusion in Beijing.   Read this week's China Up Close by Katsuji Nakazawa here.
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