Ecuador has decided to temporarily suspend a visa suspension agreement with China amid an important surge in the irregular migration of Chinese nationals, the Ecuadoran Foreign Affairs Ministry said on Tuesday.
"The government of Ecuador has decided to temporarily suspend the agreement on the mutual suspension of the visa requirements for holders of ordinary passports between the Republic of Ecuador and the People’s Republic of China," the Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement via the social media platform X.
Ecuador made the decision after observing an "unusual increase" in irregular Chinese migration, which includes individuals who either overstayed their 90-day visa-free period or used Ecuador as a starting point for other destinations in the Americas, the statement said.
The Ecuadorean authorities have also observed that nearly half of the Chinese nationals arriving through legal ports of entry have not left by regular routes and/or within the delays established by law, the statement said.
Ecuador seeks to ensure proper control over migration while enabling tourists to visit under adequate security guarantees and safe from falling prey to human trafficking or migrant smuggling, the statement added.