As part of its efforts to revive a tourism industry crippled by covid-19 lockdowns, the Chinese government has taken a number of once thought to be impossible steps toward opening up to international visitors.
In 2023, the country first started testing a trial visa-free policy in which citizens of European countries such as Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland could come to the country without a visa for up to 15 days.
The program proved to be successful both for China’s economy and tourists who might have formerly been scared off by stringent visa requirements. In the last year, China extended the length of the program into 2025 and added countries such as Australia, New Zealand and, most recently, Norway and Slovenia, to its list of approved passports.
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The domino effect has now been extended to citizens of Cyprus, Greece, Portugal and Denmark; those are the most recent countries to get added to the list. As of Oct. 15, citizens of these nations are also able to come to China for up to two weeks with just their regular passport.
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China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Nin had earlier issued a statement saying that the aim of the program has been “to facilitate the high-quality development of Chinese and foreign personnel exchanges and high-level opening up to the outside world.”
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The changes do not apply to citizens of Western English-speaking countries such as the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom with whom China has in recent years had escalating political tensions.
That said, the country has still taken some steps to make it easier for tourists from these nations to visit. While one still has to apply for a tourist visa at the Chinese consulate in one’s home country, this can now be done only by filling out an application with one’s identifying information and work history, rather than also having to book plane tickets and a hotel stay prior to finding out whether one has been approved for the visa.
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U.S. citizens are also eligible for China’s "72/144-Hour Visa-Free Transit Policy" that grants international visitors from a recently-expanded list of countries the right to enter areas such as Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Shanghai and Guangdong for short visits of no more than 144 hours (this is usually taken up by those coming to the country as part of a cruise trip or on a stopover to another Asian destination).
In a sign of where the two countries stand, the U.S. Department of State presently still has China under the Level Three "reconsider travel" ranking due to what it says can be "arbitrary enforcement of local laws" and the "risk of wrongful detentions" of citizens of countries the Chinese government considers unfriendly.
Meanwhile, President of the China Tourism Academy Dai Bin had earlier issued a statement saying that “the extension of the short-term visa-free policy until the end of 2025 will undoubtedly further boost confidence and enthusiasm for traveling to China.”
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