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Ecuador stops waiving visas for Chinese nationals because of an increase in irregular migration
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A group of people, including many from China, walk along the wall after crossing the border with Mexico to seek asylum, near Jacumba, Calif., Oct. 24, 2023. Ecuador on Tuesday, June 18, 2024, announced the suspension of an agreement with China that had waived visas for Chinese citizens traveling to the South American country, due to the increase in unusual migratory flows, using Ecuador as a starting point to reach other nations in the hemisphere through irregular routes, the Foreign Ministry said. - photo by AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File
QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Ecuador on Tuesday announced the suspension of an agreement with China that had waived visas for Chinese citizens traveling to the South American country, citing a “worrying” increase in irregular migration. Ecuador's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the suspension of the bilateral agreement is temporary and it will start on July 1. It added that the measure was taken after authorities saw that around 50% of Chinese nationals entering Ecuador didn't leave the country “through regular routes” nor within the permitted 90 days they were allowed to stay under the waiver agreement.