Ecuador suspends visa exemption for Chinese citizens due to irregular migration

Ecuador is temporarily suspending a visa waiver agreement with China, citing evidence of irregular migration flows of Chinese citizens through the small South American country.

A statement by the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday said that about half of the Chinese citizens who had entered the country in recent months had not left the country through “regular channels” or within the 90-day period of stay permitted to them.

The ministry added that in these cases, people either remained in the country in a “situation of irregular migration” or left the country via “irregular routes to other destinations in the hemisphere.”

The South American state is often considered the starting point of a long land journey for Chinese migrants on their way to the United States – known as “Zou Xian” or “footpath”.

CNN has previously reported on the numerous companies that serve cross-border commuters in Quito, offering things like airport pickups, arranging overnight stays in Chinese-run hostels and arranging travel north – often for a hefty fee.

In 2023, Ecuador recorded 48,381 entries of Chinese nationals and about 24,240 exits, leaving a difference of 24,141 – the highest number of any nationality, according to data from the National Statistics Institute. In contrast, in 2022, Ecuador recorded about 13,000 entries of Chinese nationals.

Ecuador said it was committed to ensuring the safety of visitors to prevent them from becoming victims of human trafficking and that the country was ensuring “adequate national immigration control.”

Asked about Ecuador’s decision to suspend visa exemption, Lin Jian, spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said: “Since the China-Ecuador agreement on mutual visa exemption came into force in August 2016, it has played a positive role in bilateral personnel exchanges and practical cooperation in various fields.”

Lin added that China “firmly opposes any form of smuggling activities” and that its law enforcement agencies “vigorously crack down on illegal crimes that obstruct border management.”

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