China expands visa-free entry to nine more countries to boost tourism economy

To rejuvenating its economy and encourage tourism and business travel, China has said it will extend visa-free access to nine additional countries starting November 30, The Associated Press reported. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian announced that travellers from Bulgaria, Romania, Malta, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Estonia, Latvia and Japan will now be able to stay in China for up to 30 days without a visa.

This brings the total number of countries with visa-free entry to 38, a significant increase from the three countries that had such access before the COVID-19 pandemic, when many of these privileges were temporarily suspended.

The inclusion of Japan marks a shift in China’s foreign policy, as the two countries have had a tense relationship, particularly regarding the Taiwan issue. However, in September, China and Japan reached a compromise over the controversial discharge of radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea.

Japan had been one of the original countries granted visa-free access before the pandemic, and its government had long pushed for the resumption of this privilege. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi commented, “We hope the visa exemption measure announced by the Chinese side will contribute to further smooth our exchanges between Japan and China.”

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The new visa-free entry policy not only increases the permitted stay from 15 to 30 days, but also includes participants in various exchanges for the first time, such as students and academics. China has been actively promoting people-to-people exchanges in an effort to ease strained relations with some countries.

Following the strict entry restrictions during the pandemic, China was slower to reopen than many nations. However, it began reinstating visa-free access in July 2023 for Brunei and Singapore. On December 1, 2023, China expanded the list to include six more countries: France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Malaysia. The visa-free program has continued to grow with successive announcements.

The initiative to grant visa-free access has also prompted reciprocal actions from other countries, with Thailand, for example, offering similar privileges to Chinese citizens in a bid to boost tourism. According to official reports from Xinhua News Agency, China recorded 8.2 million foreign entries between July and September this year, with 4.9 million of those being visa-free arrivals.