[1/5]People walk at a tourist spot on Qianmen Street, Beijing, China, March 14, 2023. Portal/Tingshu Wang/File Photo Acquire LICENSE RIGHTS
BEIJING, Nov 24 (Portal) – China will temporarily exempt citizens of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia from visa requirements to visit the world’s second-largest economy in a bid to boost tourism after the pandemic.
From December 1 to November 30 next year, citizens of these countries who enter China for business or tourism, to visit relatives and friends or for a transit stay of 15 days or less will not require a visa, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Friday.
China has taken steps in recent months – including restoring international flight routes – to revive its tourism sector after three years of strict COVID-19 measures that largely closed its borders to the outside world.
The government is also trying to restore its image globally after clashing with many Western countries on various issues, including COVID, human rights, Taiwan and trade.
A recent Pew Research Center survey of 24 countries found that views of China were broadly negative, with 67% of adults expressing a negative opinion.
More than half of respondents said China interfered in other countries’ affairs and did not take others’ interests into account.
“This decision will make traveling to China easier for many German citizens to an unprecedented extent,” said German Ambassador to China Patricia Flor on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
“We hope that the Chinese government will implement the measures announced today for all EU member states,” she said.
Visa-free entry to Germany for Chinese nationals is only possible if all members of the European Schengen Agreement agree, she said.
The head of the foreign trade department of the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) welcomed the announcement of a temporary visa exemption as “an important signal that can stimulate both tourism and economic exchange”.
“Above all, the regulation makes it easier to maintain German machines, ensure quality ‘Made in Germany’, business exchange and maintaining interpersonal contacts,” said Volker Treier in an interview with Portal.
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, who is in Beijing, wrote on X: “An excellent new announcement on the occasion of my visit from my counterpart Wang Yi!”
This month, China expanded its visa-free transit policy to 54 countries to include citizens of Norway.
In August, China removed all COVID testing requirements for inbound travelers. In July, visa-free entry for citizens of Singapore and Brunei was resumed for 15 days.
International flights within and outside the country are recovering more slowly than domestic network services, but are increasing.
China’s aviation regulator said in October that 16,680 weekly flights were expected from November to March, with passenger flights expected to account for 71% of the total four years ago.
The European Chamber of Commerce in China also said the move would help boost business confidence. “It is positive that the authorities are taking steps to facilitate people-to-people exchanges,” it said.
Reporting by Joe Cash, Ethan Wang, Ryan Woo and Rene Wagner; Edited by Kim Coghill, Miral Fahmy and Toby Chopra
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