BEIJING, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- China has introduced a variety of measures to welcome international visitors in the post-pandemic era, including a landmark trial policy launched one year ago, offering unilateral visa exemptions for more countries.
These efforts underscore the country's dedication to global exchanges and mobility, and reaffirm its commitment to greater openness as the world's second-largest economy.
The following are key highlights of the recent adjustments and their outcomes.
-- On Nov. 24, 2023, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced a one-year trial of visa-free entry for ordinary passport holders from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia starting Dec. 1, 2023. The policy was renewed in May.
-- Under this policy, eligible individuals could visit China for business, tourism, family visits, or simply transit without a visa, with stays of up to 15 days.
-- Several subsequent additions expanded the coverage of China's unilateral visa-free policy to 38 countries as of Nov. 30, 2024, and the maximum stay was doubled to 30 days. The policy also demonstrates greater flexibility by including travel for the purpose of exchanges.
-- China has also opened more ports for visa-exempt transit, allowing travelers from 54 countries to access 35 ports for 144 hours without a visa before heading to a third destination.
-- Regional visa-exempt entry has been expanded too. China now allows visa-free entry of foreign tour groups aboard cruise ships via the cruise ports in 13 Chinese cities, with a stay of up to 15 days. Travelers from countries with diplomatic relations with China can also visit the southern island province of Hainan visa-free for 144 hours via tour groups registered in Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions.
-- China has streamlined its visa application process. Measures include a 34-percent cut in the number of items on the application form, the removal of the appointment requirement at all embassies, expanded exemptions for fingerprint collection, and a 25-percent reduction in visa fees.
-- The scale of international passenger flights in the first half of 2024 has recovered to 81.7 percent of the level during the same period in 2019.
-- China has refined its immigration process to increase efficiency at border-control points. The average inspection time for a transit passenger at major airport checkpoints has been reduced from six minutes to just two.
-- Payment services have become more accessible and inclusive for international travelers. They can link their credit cards, including Visa and Mastercard, to popular local payment platforms such as Alipay and WeChat Pay. In October, more than 2.93 million inbound travelers used mobile payment services in China.
-- China has upgraded point-of-sale (POS) systems at many restaurants and added these facilities at airports, scenic spots and shopping malls to accommodate the use of credit cards. In October, the number and value of offline transactions made with foreign bank cards expanded by 184 percent and 150 percent, respectively, compared to the figures in February.
-- Foreign currency exchange services have covered major international airports, hotels rated four stars and above, as well as major tourist attractions, resorts and recreational areas across China.
-- International arrivals have surged with the support of the measures. In the third quarter of 2024, China logged nearly 8.2 million inbound trips made by foreigners, up 48.8 percent year on year. Among these, about 4.9 million entered visa-free, a remarkable rise of 78.6 percent from the same period last year.
-- International business people have seen more opportunities in China. From January to September, 42,000 foreign-funded companies were established in the country, an increase of 11.4 percent year-on-year. ■
