News > Saving face means more to China than economic recovery

Saving face means more to China than economic recovery

China has put its dignity or face, known as “mianzi” in Chinese, ahead of economic recovery. Not only has China suspended the issuance of visas to Japanese and South Korean nationals but Beijing also announced that it would stop allowing visa-free transit for them. Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said that discriminatory measures against travellers from China caused obstacles to personnel exchanges to and from the country, giving Beijing reason to counter those measures.