Beijing (AP) In an effort to stimulate business and tourism travel and help resuscitate a flagging economy, China announced on Friday that it would extend visa-free entrance to citizens of nine additional nations.
According to Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian, visitors from Bulgaria, Romania, Malta, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Estonia, Latvia, and Japan would be permitted entry into China for a maximum of 30 days without a visa beginning on November 30.
Since last year, the number of nations that have been allowed entry without a visa has increased to 38. Prior to the COVID-19 epidemic, only three nations had visa-free entry, and those countries had lost theirs.
According to Lin, those taking part in exchanges will be eligible for the first time, and the allowed duration of stay for visa-free entry will be extended from the previous 15 days. In an effort to mend its occasionally tense relations with foreign nations, China has been encouraging people-to-people interactions between scholars, students, and others.
China implemented stringent entrance restrictions throughout the pandemic and lifted them considerably later than the majority of other nations. In July 2023, it reinstated the prior visa-free admission for Bruneian and Singaporean nationals. On December 1st of last year, it extended visa-free entry to six additional countries: France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Malaysia.
Since then, the program has been gradually expanded. In an effort to attract more Chinese tourists, some nations, most notably Thailand, have declared visa-free entrance for Chinese nationals.
According to the official Xinhua News Agency, which cited a Foreign Ministry consular officer, China recorded 8.2 million foreign arrivals during the three months of July through September of this year, of which 4.9 million were visa-free.
The Associated Press, 2024. All rights reserved. All rights reserved. It is prohibited to publish, broadcast, rewrite, or redistribute this content without authorization.
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