China has protested against Russia's interrogation and refusal to allow five of its citizens to enter the country, stressing that the move is inconsistent with bilateral relations.
The Chinese Embassy in Russia posted on its WeChat account on August 4 that five Chinese citizens who attempted to drive from Kazakhstan to Russia late last month were denied entry after four hours of questioning. Their visas were also canceled.
"The embassy has met with the Russian Foreign Ministry and border authorities, pointing out that Russia's excessive law enforcement has seriously damaged the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens," the embassy said in a post. "This action goes against the overall picture of China-Russia friendship and the growing trend of friendly people-to-people exchanges between the two countries."
The Chinese Embassy asked Russia to explain the cause of the incident, take active measures to eliminate negative influences and ensure that similar incidents do not recur.
"Russia needs to conduct a deeper investigation into the excessive law enforcement activities of the border guards and provide the Chinese side with a satisfactory answer," the Chinese embassy's post stressed.
Chinese Embassy in Russia. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
According to the embassy, Russian officials issued a statement saying that this was an isolated incident, and that Russia welcomes and does not have a policy of discrimination against Chinese citizens. They also stated that the reason for the five citizens being banned from entering the country was that the destination on the visa application did not match the actual destination, which is a violation of Russian laws and regulations.
The move by the Chinese embassy in Russia comes days after a man shared on social media about being denied entry at the Russia-Kazakhstan border checkpoint. "Now we understand the deep friendship between Russia and China," he quipped.
Beijing and Moscow have repeatedly talked about their strong ties since President Xi Jinping and President Vladimir Putin announced an “unlimited” partnership in February 2022, when Putin visited Beijing for the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics.
Huyen Le (According to Global Times , Bloomberg , Reuters )
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