厄瓜多爾恢復對中國遊客的簽證要求

Recently Reuters News on-line reported the following:

Ecuador reinstates visa requirement for Chinese travelers

Reuters

Tue, June 18, 2024 at 6:58 a.m. PDT·1 min read

(Reuters) -Ecuador's foreign ministry on Tuesday said that it was effectively reinstating a visa requirement for travelers from China, citing an increase in irregular migratory flows from the Asian nation.

The ministry, in a statement posted on social media, said that it was suspending an agreement with China which had waived the requirement for travelers to obtain a visa.

The ministry said that many Chinese travelers had overstayed the permitted 90-day period, with some potentially using Ecuador as a stepping stone to reach other destinations in the region.

The ministry said that in recent months, nearly half of visitors from the country did not exit through regular routes on time.

Asked about Ecuador's visa waiver suspension, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Tuesday that China firmly opposes all forms of human smuggling.

"The agreement on mutual visa exemption between China and Ecuador, since it took effect in August 2016, has played an important and positive role in promoting cross-border travel and practical cooperation in various fields between the two countries," Lin told a regular news briefing.

China's law enforcement departments are working with relevant countries to jointly tackle human smuggling activities, repatriate illegal immigrants and maintain a good order in cross-border travel, Lin said.

(Reporting by Natalia Siniawski; Additional reporting by Ethan Wang in Beijing; Editing by Kylie Madry and Sharon Singleton)

Translation

（路透社）-厄瓜多爾外交部週二表示，它實際上正在恢復對來自中國的旅行者的簽證要求，理由是來自亞洲國家的非正常移民潮有所增加。

該部在社群媒體上發布的聲明中表示，將暫停與中國達成的一項免除旅客獲得簽證要求的協議。

該部表示，許多中國遊客超過了允許的 90 天停留期限，其中一些可能以厄瓜多爾為跳板，前往該地區其他目的地。

該部表示，近幾個月來，近一半的該國遊客沒有按時通過常規路線離境。

在被問及厄瓜多爾暫停免簽一事時，中國外交部發言人 Lin Jian 週二表示，中國堅決反對一切形式的偷渡活動。

Lin Jian 在簡報稱: 「中厄互免簽證協議自2016年8月生效以來，為促進兩國跨境旅遊和各領域務實合作發揮了重要積極作用」。

Lin Jian說，中國執法部門正與相關國家共同打擊偷渡活動，遣返非法移民，維護良好的跨國旅行秩序。

So, Ecuador is reinstating a visa requirement for travelers from China, citing an increase in irregular migratory flows from the Asian nation. I am wondering why after the Covid -19 is over in China, still so many Chinese want to leave their country.