China will allow passport holders from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia visa-free entry to the country for 15 days. 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. There will be no reciprocal arrangement for Chinese citizens. French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, who was visiting China, 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 (NIA) 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, travelers 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 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 travelers have returned since then. The numbers dropped 70% in the first half of this year compared with 2019 levels. China is trying to increase inbound travel to boost its economy, the South China Morning Post reports.
The Global Times adds that China already resumed 15-day visa-free entry for citizens of Singapore and Brunei In July. China's tourism market has seen uneven recovery this year. While the outbound tourism market is recovering rapidly, the inbound tourism sector only recovered to 12% of the same period of 2019 in the first half of 2023, data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism revealed. In 2022, China welcomed about 20 million inbound tourists, accounting for 14% of the annual volume in 2019. China will continue to improve policies related to visas and the inbound tourism sector, including optimizing Chinese visa application procedures and gradually phasing out visa application appointments, said an official from the Foreign Ministry during the China International Travel Mart 2023 held in Kunming in Yunnan province in November.
