China stated on Friday that, in an effort to attract more visitors for business and tourism, it will grant visa-free entrance to citizens of five European nations as well as Malaysia.
French, German, Italian, Dutch, Spanish, and Malaysian nationals will be able to enter China without a visa for a maximum of 15 days as of December 1. The experimental program will last for a full year.
Speaking at a daily briefing, international ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated that the goal 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, many people were deterred from entering China due to the country’s stringent pandemic regulations, which included mandatory quarantines for all newcomers. Although the limitations were removed at the beginning of the year, foreign travel has not yet returned to its pre-pandemic levels.
Prior to the COVID-19 epidemic, China did not require a visa for entry for people from Brunei, Japan, or Singapore. In July, it restored entry without a visa for Singapore and Brunei, but not for Japan.
Immigration figures show that 8.4 million foreigners entered and left China in the first half of the year. In contrast, 977 million were recorded in 2019, the year prior to the pandemic.
In response, France has chosen to grant Chinese students who obtain master’s degrees in France a five-year extension “to facilitate exchanges,” according to French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, who was in Beijing for negotiations. Colonna welcomed the Chinese announcement.
More European countries should soon be able to enter China without a visa, according to the EU Chamber of Commerce in China. “A tangible and practical improvement, which will also increase business confidence,” was how the decision was described in a statement.
A few executives, notably Elon Musk of Tesla and Tim Cook of Apple, have been visiting China for trade shows and meetings as part of the government’s efforts to attract foreign investment to help revive the country’s flagging economy. Comparatively speaking to pre-pandemic levels, foreign visitors are relatively uncommon.
