China has extended its visa-free travel policy to six more countries, including Switzerland and Ireland, as of Thursday. It was noted that the move is aimed at increasing tourism and people-to-people exchanges to the country.
This latest decision comes as China lifts visa requirements for citizens of more countries, including those in Southeast Asia, and moves to resolve other issues, including payment barriers for foreign visitors.
Chinese experts say the move underlines the country’s determination to open up. Experts also said that at a time when many major countries, such as the United States, are tightening visa policies for Chinese citizens, China’s series of opening-up moves underscore the country’s confidence and openness, which is conducive to an open global economy, in stark contrast to the isolationist and protectionist trend rising in some countries.
According to the latest development, from Thursday to 30 November 2024, citizens of six European countries (Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium and Luxembourg) will be able to visit China for up to 15 days for business, travel, transit and other purposes without having to apply for a visa.
The first direct flight out of Brussels
Visa-free travel policies for these six countries have already been announced. Airlines and travel agencies are making preparations, such as increasing the number of flights between China and these countries.
On Thursday, the first direct flight between South China’s Guangdong region and six European countries took off for Shenzhen after the visa-free policy officially took effect. The flight, which departed from Brussels, Belgium, and was operated by Hainan Airlines, carried more than 20 Belgian citizens.
Anticipating an increase in passenger numbers, Hainan Airlines told the Global Times on Thursday that it currently operates two direct flights to Brussels, with the Beijing-Brussels flight operating daily and the Shenzhen-Brussels flight operating three times a week.
Meanwhile, searches for flights from Europe to China have also increased. Chinese online travel platform Qunar.com reported that searches for flights from Zurich to China were up 60 per cent on Thursday afternoon compared to last week.
Overall, some routes between China and European countries showed a growth trend after the visa-free policy came into effect on Thursday, according to aviation information provider VariFlight.
“This may indicate that the visa-free travel policy will promote tourism and business exchanges between the two sides and further strengthen China-Europe relations,” VariFlight told the Global Times.
Aiming to increase tourism
In December 2023, China abolished visa requirements for citizens of six countries, including five European countries such as France and Germany.
China has also recently signed reciprocal visa exemption agreements with Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.
In addition to visa exemptions, China has taken a number of other measures to make visits by foreigners more convenient, including streamlining visa applications and improving payment services. Due to problems with the acceptance of foreign bank cards and identity verification procedures, many foreign visitors have encountered difficulties in using China’s mobile payment services, the most widely used payment method in China. As a result, the Chinese authorities have taken several steps to address these issues.
Last week, China’s cabinet, the State Council, issued a notice calling on banks and payment and clearing organisations to strengthen cooperation to continuously improve and expand mobile payment services for foreign visitors. On Thursday, the People’s Bank of China, the central bank, issued a guide to payment services in China, saying foreign visitors now have a range of payment options, including mobile payments.
According to the Financial Times, 35 million foreigners travelled to and from China last year, a third of the nearly 98 million expected in 2019. State media estimated that the epidemic cost China $362 billion in lost international tourism revenue between 2020 and the end of last year.
Beyond the impact on the tourism industry, authorities are concerned that the decline in foreign visitors threatens to further isolate China and contribute to negative perceptions of the country abroad.
Part of externalisation
The measures, aimed at boosting inbound travel and people-to-people exchanges, are part of China’s sustained and comprehensive opening-up drive and reflect the country’s openness and confidence at a time when many countries are turning inward, experts said.
“These visa-free policies are actually a manifestation of China’s stance of promoting people-to-people exchanges, supporting economic globalisation and opposing trade protectionism,” Bian Yongzu, a senior researcher at the Chongyang Institute of Financial Studies at Renmin University of China, told the Global Times.
“We are dealing with this period of uncertainty with a mindset of greater openness and trust,” Bian said, noting that some countries are trying to block economic and people-to-people exchanges between nations under the pretext of national security, causing great uncertainty for the global economy.
“There are indeed some protectionist tendencies in Europe and the US,” Bian said, adding that some of these countries are facing deep domestic challenges and do not have appropriate solutions to overcome these challenges, so they resort to putting pressure on developing countries.
Bian said the visa facilitation move would also “help foreign governments better understand China’s economic development and be more willing to cooperate with China”.
