China has announced a new policy to allow visa-free entry for up to 15 days for ordinary passport holders from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Malaysia.
Effective from December 1, this one-year trial, ending on November 30, 2024, is designed to facilitate business, tourism, family visits, and transit. As stated by Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning, the move is part of China’s efforts to encourage cross-border travel and support its high-quality development and openness.
China’s latest policy is a continuation of its efforts to enhance visa regulations. This includes expanding its visa-free transit policy, now extended to 54 countries, including Norway. Additionally, the previously halted visa-free entry for citizens of Brunei, Japan, and Singapore, a result of COVID-19 measures, has been resumed for Brunei and Singapore since July.
These changes come amidst a series of measures China has introduced since the start of the year to ease travel into the country, including the elimination of COVID-19 testing requirements and the transition to walk-in visa applications. (NNT)
