China relaxes visa requirements for U.S. travelers

02-01-24

China will ease visa restrictions for people from the United States, the country's latest effort to attract foreign travelers since reopening its borders earlier this year.

As of this Jan. 1, U.S. tourists no longer need to present round-trip airline tickets, proof of hotel reservations, itineraries or invitations to China, according to an announcement posted online Friday by the Chinese embassy in Washington.

The streamlined application process is intended to "further facilitate people-to-people exchanges between China and the United States."

The move comes as China strives to rejuvenate its tourism sector after three years of strict anti-pandemic measures, which included mandatory quarantines for all arrivals. Although those restrictions were lifted earlier this year, international travelers have been slow to return.

In the first half of this year, China recorded 8.4 million foreign arrivals and departures, down from 977 million in all of 2019, the last year before the pandemic, according to immigration statistics.

In another attempt to boost tourism, China announced last month that it would allow visa-free entry to citizens of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia for up to 15 days.

The year-long trial program signaled China's "high-level opening to the outside world," Mao Ning, a Foreign Ministry spokesman, told a daily news briefing.

But China's efforts to attract U.S. tourists may face other hurdles. International flights between the two countries, set by a bilateral agreement, remain well below pandemic levels, although they have slowly increased in recent months.

Over the summer, amid deteriorating relations between Beijing and Washington, the United States advised Americans to reconsider traveling to China, citing the risk of illegal detentions and exit bans.

"The government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) arbitrarily enforces local laws, including the issuance of exit bans on U.S. and non-U.S. citizens, without a fair and transparent process under the law," the recommendation said.