Foreign Ministry Dismisses Rumor That Foreigners With Valid Visas Will Not Be Allowed Into China

Tom Arnstein | Jun 17, 2020 1:08 pm | 2 comments | 8783 reads

The Chinese Foreign Ministry stepped in on Tuesday evening to refute rumors online that "all foreigners with valid visas and residence permits will be denied entry from Monday" amidst a second coronavirus outbreak in the capital.

Zhao Lijian (pictured above), spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said at yesterday's press briefing that they had not released the information in question and that the image circulating had been "maliciously tampered with," according to Global Times.

Such a development would have risked impeding foreigners traveling into China – particularly diplomats, embassy staff, and "high-grade" sector employees – who have been allowed to travel unencumbered, as well as business travelers between China and countries that have established special fast-track 'corridors,' such as South Korea and Germany.

Many expats remain stranded outside of China since the borders closed in late March. Since then, access for Chinese travelers has slowly reopened, with a points-based system recently being implemented that puts the onus on flight carriers to ensure that passengers are virus-free.

Those foreigners who are able to enter the country must submit to a nucleic acid test as well as 14-day medical observation at the port of entry.

So far there has not been an official update about visa renewals for foreigners in China following the initial 60-day blanket extension announced back in March. However, individuals have reported that navigating the application and extension process has been relatively painless.

READ: Need to Quarantine?: What to Expect if You Travel to These Provinces From Beijing

Image: SCMP

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Re: Foreign Ministry Dismisses Rumor That Foreigners With...
Posted Jun 18, 2020 10:58am by xz576
(Reply to a previous comment)
Giovanni Martini wrote:

Weren't they saying foreign fish were the cause? Those fish are slippery ones, all right: no passport, no visa. Swedish fish, I heard. (Which country a certain strata of humanity affects to like.)

Norwegian salmon, though I'm sure you knew that. They are backing off on this though. Chinese media reported today that coronavirus was not detected in salmon before it entered the market, and in fact other areas of the market had positive results as well. Here is a Chinese article http://finance.sina.com.cn/chanjing/cyxw/2020-06-17/doc-iircuyvi8910522.shtml

Re: Foreign Ministry Dismisses Rumor That Foreigners With...
Posted Jun 17, 2020 1:53pm by xz576

The part of the image that had been "tampered with" was the date, not the classes of people allowed in. The actual text was the same as the original ban, which took effect on 3/28 and which you reported here. Someone photoshopped the date to 6/15 (and later to 6/22) - probably to make it seem to be in response to the latest outbreak in Beijing, and I would assume maliciously. (Can't blame someone for the new outbreak when you've banned him for more than two months...)