Ecuador stops waiving visas for Chinese nationals because of an increase in irregular migration

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 would 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.

The development would effectively mean that Ecuador was reinstating visas for Chinese citizens, but the Foreign Ministry did not provide any details.

Since 2023, people from China are among the top nationalities of migrants reaching the United States.

Ecuador, one of the only two mainland countries in the Americas that offer visa-free entry to Chinese nationals, has become a popular starting point for Chinese migrants who would then trek northward through Central America before entering the United States. The other country is the Republic of Suriname.

The Washington-based think tank Niskanen Center, citing official data by the Ecuadorian government, said that Chinese nationals entered Ecuador 48,381 times in 2023 but only left 24,240 times. The difference of 24,141 was the highest of any nationality, according to Niskanen.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a daily briefing on Tuesday that Beijing “firmly opposes all forms of human smuggling” and that the country’s law enforcement has been “tough on all kinds of human smuggling groups and individuals engaged in illegal immigration.”

China also has been