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 temporarily 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.
This measure would mean reinstating visas for Chinese citizens, but the Foreign Ministry didn’t provide any details.
Since 2023, people from China are among the top nationalities of migrants reaching the United States.
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