A year after China fully reopened, ending its strict Covid-19 controls, the number of foreign residents in the country is 15% below pre-pandemic levels, according to official data. National Immigration Administration (NIA) Spokeswoman Zhang Ning said the number of foreign nationals residing in China “has rebounded to 85% of the level at the end of 2019”. The NIA data also showed that Chinese authorities issued a total of 711,000 residency permits of various types to foreign nationals living in the country in 2023. When asked about the 2024 outlook for overseas visitors, Zhang told a press conference that “the number of foreigners coming to China is expected to continue to increase steadily”. The Chinese economy is expected to undergo a continuous recovery and the nation will broaden its openness to the global community, she said.
China has launched a campaign to woo more foreign businesspeople, students and tourists. The measures included relaxed visa requirements and other incentives. After enduring nearly three years of strict restrictions related to China’s zero-Covid approach to the pandemic, some foreigners have decided to leave, despite the country’s efforts to reconnect with the world over the past year. Some of those leaving say they have sensed an increasing wariness, even hostility, towards them. Meanwhile, students from developing countries who do want to stay report problems meeting the strict work permit requirements after graduation. Even in the post-pandemic era, foreigners in China have continued to raise concerns about lingering visa and entry difficulties, limited flight availability, and a more uncertain security climate. Observers have cautioned that the slow return of overseas tourists could make China less attractive to overseas investors, as well as deepen misunderstandings between societies and worsen geopolitical risks.
For the whole of last year, China recorded 424 million inbound and outbound trips, with foreign visitors accounting for a mere 8.4%, according to the latest NIA data. The 2023 figures were 36.7% and 6.2 percentage points lower than the 670 million cross-border trips in 2019, when foreign visitors accounted for a 14.6% share. But the data showed a jump of 266.5% on 2022’s cross-border trips, when China’s borders remained firmly closed. Inbound and outbound travel by foreigners in 2023 grew 693.1% from the previous year.
The NIA issued a basket of new rules a week ago, which took immediate effect, that further relax China’s entry and visa processes. The package eases eligibility requirements for entry visas, waives border inspections for transit at certain airports, and streamlines application procedures for entry visas, extensions of stay and multiple-entry permits. The initiative follows December’s 25% cut in visa fees that will be in place until the end of this year, along with an expansion in November of China’s 72- and 144-hour visa-free transit policy to cover the citizens of 54 countries.
Beijing has also announced that it will unilaterally grant Swiss and Irish nationals 15-days visa-free entry after visits by Chinese Premier Li Qiang to Switzerland and Ireland last week. The move expands a previous rule change to permit travelers from six countries – France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia – to visit China for up to 15 days without a visa, effective until November 30. Meanwhile, Singapore announced in December that a 30-day mutual visa exemption scheme with China will be implemented this year. Earlier this month, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said Thailand and China will permanently waive visa requirements for each other’s citizens from March, the South China Morning Post reports.
The China Daily adds that of the 424 million entries and exits by individuals in 2023, 206 million crossings were made by mainland residents, an increase of 218.7% year-on-year, and 183 million were made by residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, up 292.8% from 2022. In addition, nearly 35.48 million crossings were made by foreign nationals, a year-on-year increase of 693.1%. The total volume of crossings in 2023 accounted for about 63.3% of that in 2019, before the Covid-19 outbreak. In 2023, nearly 1.71 million visa documents were issued, up 158.3% year-on-year.
