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After unilaterally granting visa waivers to six countries late last year, Chinese officials have introduced five new measures to make it easier for foreigners to enter China and boost the economic recovery process.
According to new entry measures announced by China’s National Immigration Administration on Thursday (January 11), foreigners who need to urgently enter China for non-diplomatic and official activities such as business cooperation, visits and exchanges, investment and entrepreneurship It will not be possible to visit relatives or take care of private matters in a timely manner. After applying for a visa abroad, you can apply for a port visa at the port visa authority with the invitation letter and other documents before entry.
Second, foreign passengers who have international connecting tickets within 24 hours and are traveling to a third country or region through nine international airports, including Beijing Capital Airport, Beijing Daxing Airport and Shanghai Pudong Airport, can continue directly without a visa, without border control procedures having to go through.
In addition, foreigners who come to China on a short-term basis for business, exchange, investment and entrepreneurship, family visits, sightseeing, etc. and have legitimate reasons to continue to stay in China can apply at the nearest local immigration authority. Exit authority for visa extension, renewal and reissue. If you need to enter and exit multiple times, you can apply for a multiple entry visa using the invitation letter and other materials.
Finally, when foreigners in China apply for a visa and their accommodation documents, business licenses and other information can be found through information exchange, they are exempt from examining relevant paper materials; If you are applying for a short-term family visit and reunification visa, a declaration from the inviting party’s relatives can be submitted instead of proof of kinship.
Liu Haitao, deputy director of China’s National Immigration Administration, said at a press conference on Thursday that these new measures, which come into effect immediately, are intended to eliminate the problems and congestion caused when foreigners come to China on business. Study and tourism, and to smooth the flow of people, “more to promote global economic recovery.”
After China lifted its coronavirus prevention measures at the end of 2022, domestic tourism recovered quickly. However, due to constraints such as the shortage of international flights and cumbersome visa procedures, inbound tourism was slow to recover. The immigration agency said border control agencies across the country screened 210 million people entering the country last year, a 62.9% increase from 2019.
From December 1 last year, China introduced a year-long trial of a unilateral visa-free policy for France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia. A week later, the country announced that its embassies and consulates abroad would reduce visa fees to China by 25%. .
Mao overall uptrend; Of these, 4,300 people entered the country without a visa on January 8th. The number of tourists has more than doubled compared to December 1, with sightseeing and leisure tourists accounting for 70%.
However, data from the China Tourism Academy shows that even in 2019, before the epidemic, inbound foreign tourism accounted for only 0.5% of China’s gross domestic product (GDP). In comparison, Thailand’s inbound tourism revenue accounted for 12% of GDP in 2019 and Spain’s 7%.
Sun Jie, CEO of Chinese tourism giant Ctrip Group, pointed out last year that if China’s share of inbound tourism can rise to 1.5% of the international average, that would be at least 1.3 trillion yuan (S$243.4 billion ) would create room for growth.
From March 1 this year, people from China and Thailand will be able to stay visa-free for 30 days when visiting each other. China and Singapore also plan to introduce a 30-day mutual visa waiver agreement within the year.
Jens Eskelund, Chairman of the European Chamber of Commerce in China, responded to Lianhe Zaobao’s query, saying that the visa exemption for some EU countries since December last year has helped to effectively improve business confidence. Some of the newly announced comfort measures require further clarification on their implementation. The chamber called on Chinese authorities to further streamline the process of processing visas and work permits for foreign employees and help foreign travelers understand how to use apps available in China such as Alipay, WeChat and Meituan.
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