China waives visas for 9 more countries

(CLO) People from nine more countries, including South Korea, Norway, Finland and Slovakia, will be exempted from visa requirements to enter China from November 8.

On November 1, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced that from November 8, citizens from countries including South Korea, Norway, Finland, Slovakia, Denmark, Iceland, Andorra, Monaco and Liechtenstein will be allowed to enter China for business, tourism, family visits or transit for up to 15 days without a visa.

The policy will take effect until the end of next year, bringing the total number of countries with visa-free access from China to 25.

Tourists from nine more countries will soon be able to visit China without a visa. Photo: AP

It is a sign of China’s desire to boost tourism. Since last year, China has eased travel restrictions on foreign visitors to boost the economy and facilitate people-to-people exchanges, helping ease tensions with the United States, Europe and its Asian neighbors.

So far, residents of 16 countries, including France and Germany, are allowed to enter China without a visa for up to 15 days for business, tourism, family visits and transit purposes.

Citizens of 54 other countries, including the US, Canada and the UK, are allowed to enter China through one of 37 ports of entry and stay for up to 72 or 144 hours without a visa, provided they have a valid onward ticket to another country.

According to the National Immigration Administration, 14.64 million foreigners visited China in the first half of 2024, up 152% year-on-year.

More than 8.5 million visa-free entries were recorded from January to June this year, accounting for 58% of domestic tourism, up 190% year-on-year.

During the July-September period, 8.18 million foreigners visited China, up nearly half from the same period last year. Among them, 4.9 million were visa-free entries, up 78.6 percent year-on-year.

Ngoc Anh (according to Xinhua News Agency, SCMP)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/trung-quoc-mien-thi-thuc-cho-them-9-quoc-gia-trong-15-ngay-post319655.html