Beijing: Chinese police in Guangzhou city have ordered hostel operators to turn away guests from five countries — Afghanistan, Turkey, Iraq, Syria and Pakistan — until next month, a report said yesterday. Hostels in various parts of the city also confirmed the development. However, the inclusion of Pakistan came as a surprise considering its close all-weather ties with China.

The Guangzhou police move reportedly came ahead of the 11th Pan-Pearl River Delta Regional Cooperation and Development Forum being held in Guangzhou since yesterday while the G20 leaders’ summit will be hosted in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou on September 4-5. Foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said, “We never heard about such a policy being carried out in China. Our policy is to encourage people to exchanges in China and other countries.”