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The perfect storm of Chinese bureaucracy has been served. So it suddenly fell on ultra-consolidated traditions that were used as a tool to control people and territory. Because yes, it’s all true. From now on it no longer matters, whether tourism or business: a visa is no longer necessary for China. In addition, Xi Jinping guarantees that Chinese and foreign companies will operate on an equal footing, especially in the area of intellectual property. The consular rite for legalizing public documents is also being forgotten: after the Hague Convention was ratified a month ago, a single formality is now sufficient: the apostille. Perhaps China’s post-bureaucratic era has truly begun.
attract foreigners
One can guess what specific reasons connect these sudden decisions. It is certainly necessary to open the country, including by changing the rules of the game, encouraging the arrival of foreigners and at the same time ensuring dialogue with foreigners who, like Capital, now prefer to go elsewhere.
Each of these steps represents a huge turning point, the true extent of which is not yet clear. Anyone who has had and has had anything to do with China knows that they have to stock up on one single virtue: patience. After all, this is the country where the red stamp, the chop, is everything. A company exists when the stamp is present. Whoever has the stamp owns the company. The story of the CEO of ARM China, the chip giant “hatched” in Cambridge, is memorable: he was fired by the board but became immobile because he refused to return the company seal that he had locked in the safe.
With visas, the short duration of 15 days and, experimentally, one year does not change the situation. China has unilaterally decided to waive visa requirements in six countries from December 1, 2023 to November 30, 2024. Italian, French, German, Dutch, Spanish and Malaysian citizens holding an ordinary passport can travel to China for business, commercial or leisure reasons. Tourism, visits to family or friends or transit for a stay of a maximum of 15 days without the need to apply for an entry visa.
We read this on the websites of the Chinese consulates. This opens up completely new scenarios. What will happen to the visa centers managed abroad by CITS, a Chinese tourism giant? The latest prize was just awarded in France. Of course, this promotes the free movement of people and documents, it is certainly a concrete act aimed at opening China to the rest of the world, especially to the West (or at least part of it).