Citizens of These Countries Can Enter China Without a Visa from December 1. Check List Here
Citizens of These Countries Can Enter China Without a Visa from December 1. Check List Here
China on Friday said that it will allow visa-free entry for citizens of five European countries and Malaysia in a bid to encourage more people to visit the country for business and tourism.
French, German, Italian, Dutch, Spanish and Malaysian citizens will be allowed to enter China for up to 15 days without a visa. This is a trial programme and it will be in effect for one year.
The Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning at a daily briefing said that the aim is “to facilitate the high-quality development of Chinese and foreign personnel exchanges and high-level opening up to the outside world”.
For almost three years people were discouraged from visiting China due to its strict pandemic measures, which included required quarantines for all arrivals. The restrictions were lifted early this year, but international travel has yet to bounce back to pre-pandemic levels. Japanese, Singaporean and Bruneians were allowed to enter China without a visa but the programme was suspended after the COVID-19 outbreak. It resumed visa-free entry for Brunei and Singapore in July but has not done so for Japan.
In the first six months of the year, China recorded 8.4 million entries and exits by foreigners, according to immigration statistics. That compares to 977 million for all of 2019, the last year before the pandemic, according to a report by the Associated Press.
Their report said that France welcomed the move, citing French foreign minister Catherine Colonna, who was in Beijing for talks and said France has decided in return to allow Chinese students who earn master’s degrees in France to stay in the country for five more years “to facilitate exchanges”.
The EU Chamber of Commerce in China expressed hope that more European nations would be given visa-free access soon. In a statement, it called the move “a tangible and practical improvement, which will also increase business confidence.”
The Chinese government has been seeking foreign investment to help boost a sluggish economy, and some businesspeople have been coming for trade fairs and meetings, including Tesla’s Elon Musk and Apple’s Tim Cook. Foreign tourists are still a rare sight compared to before the pandemic.