Ecuador Suspends Visa Waiver With China Amid ‘Unusual’ Surge in Chinese Nationals

Ecuador says that it has temporarily suspended a visa waiver agreement with China, citing a “worrying increase in migratory flows from China.” Ecuador’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility stated in a June 19 social media post that there was an “unusual increase” of Chinese nationals entering the country in recent months. The agency noted that about 50 percent of Chinese citizens overstayed the permitted 90-day period or have left the country “through irregular routes.” The country was one of only two mainland countries in the Americas that offered visa-free entry to Chinese nationals. The other is Suriname. Chinese nationals entered Ecuador 48,381 times in 2023 but only exited 24,240 times, according to the Washington-based think tank the Niskanen Center, which cited official entry/exit data from the Ecuadorian government. The resulting entry/exit difference of 24,141 was the highest among all nationalities, according to the think tank....