China eliminates visa requirement for citizens of five countries and increases openness to tourism

26-11-23

The pandemic dealt a hard blow to Chinese tourism, which is facing a tough recovery process. In a further attempt to boost this activity, the Asian nation recently eliminated the need for visas for citizens of Spain, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands visiting the country.

In a one-year pilot project, citizens of these countries traveling to the People's Republic of China for tourism, family visits or transit, for stays of less than 15 days, will only require a valid passport.

The measure is announced in the context of new flights and a greater rapprochement with Western countries. It is expected that these measures will be extended to all European Union citizens.  "China has decided to extend the scope of countries with unilateral visa exemption to France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia on an experimental basis," Chinese authorities announced.