An interesting development likely undertaken for security reasons. China was just hit with a more serious terror attack and successful Islamic terrorism on its own soil against foreigners would be a major black eye for the secretive totalitarian state.
Authorities in China have reportedly instructed select hotels to reject guests from a handful of majority Muslim countries, according to Reuters.
While the country's foreign ministry denies that such a policy exists, workers at several budget hotels in Guangzhou said that they were ordered as far back as March to deny guests from Pakistan, Syria, Iraq, Turkey and Afghanistan.
One worker recently told the South China Morning Post that local authorities ordered the hotel to turn away guests from the aforementioned countries until Sept. 10.
"I'm not clear of the reason. We just can't take them," a hotel worker told Reuters over the telephone.
There may be good reason for the ban.
It's worth noting that the 11th Pan-Pearl River Delta Regional Cooperation and Development Forum was held in Guangzhou this past week. What's more, the G20 leaders' summit is scheduled to commence in Hangzhou Sept. 4.