BEIJING ¨C The operator of the international ferry Jian Zhen Hao linking Shanghai with the cities of Kobe and Osaka said it has suspended passenger services.
Japan-China International Ferry said Monday that the suspension follows a request from the Chinese side, which told the company that the safety of travel between the two countries could not be ensured.
The move apparently comes in response to Beijing urging its citizens to refrain from traveling to Japan, amid tensions following Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi¡¯s recent remarks about a possible Taiwan contingency.
Ferry services on the route began in 1985, but the current vessel, the Jian Zhen Hao, is less then two years old. Passenger services had only just resumed back in June after five and a half years of suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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