China to allow citizens of 6 nations visa-free entry to country for up to 15 days
- Passport holders from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia will benefit from the arrangement for the next 12 months
- The measure is the latest effort to boost the sluggish Chinese economy after Covid controls caused a virtual halt to international travel
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The policy will start on December 1 and run until November 30 next year. During this time, citizens of those countries will be allowed to enter the country without a visa for business, tourism, family visits and transit, foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Friday. There will be no reciprocal arrangement for Chinese citizens.
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French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, who was visiting China to meet her counterpart Wang Yi, welcomed the announcement as “excellent news”.
The announcement follows a decision earlier this month to expand the visa-transit rules, with Norwegian citizens becoming the latest to benefit.
The National Immigration Administration said that from November 17, citizens from 54 countries will now be exempt from visa requirements when heading for a third nation.
Those passing through the cities of Changsha, Guilin and Harbin can stay for up to 72 hours, while those transiting through 20 other cities – including Beijing and Shanghai – can stay for up to 144 hours.
During that time, travellers are allowed to engage in tourist and business activities.
Since its inception in January 2013, more than 500,000 foreigners have travelled through China under the visa-free policy, according to the state news agency Xinhua.
According to the Chinese foreign ministry, there are currently 18 countries that have mutual visa exemptions with China for ordinary passport holders, most of which are developing countries.
Although China reopened its borders in January after three years of strict Covid controls, few international travellers have returned since then.
Figures show that numbers dropped 70 per cent in the first half of this year compared with 2019 levels. South Korea, Russia, Japan, the United States and Australia were among the biggest sources of foreign tourists for China in 2019, according to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.
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China is currently trying to increase inbound travel to boost its sluggish economy.
Xi said after the meeting that the two countries would also try to streamline visa processing.
In September, the State Council, China’s cabinet, unveiled a plan to make visa application processing more efficient, restore visa-free policies and allow exemptions for transit and regional entry visas.
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It also promised to make it easier for foreign visitors to use their bank cards and other digital payments, post signs in multiple languages, and make ticket booking and hotel check-in more convenient.
The document said efforts to strengthen inbound travel would be among the key measures to boost the tourism industry.
