[1/5]People walk through a tourist site on Qianmen Street, Beijing, China on March 14, 2023. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo Obtaining licensing rights
BEIJING, Nov 24 (Reuters) – China will temporarily exempt citizens of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia from the need for visas to visit the world’s second-largest economy in a bid to give a boost to tourism after the pandemic.
A Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Friday that from December 1 to November 30 next year, citizens of those countries who enter China for work, tourism, visiting relatives and friends, or transit for a period of no more than 15 days, will not need a visa.
China has taken steps in recent months – including restoring international flight routes – to revive its tourism sector after three years of strict COVID-19 measures that largely closed its borders to the outside world.
The government is also looking to re-establish its image around the world after clashing with several Western countries over various issues including the coronavirus, human rights, Taiwan and trade.
Pew Research Center recently reconnaissance The study across 24 countries revealed that views of China were broadly negative, with 67% of adults expressing unfavorable views.
More than half of the participants said that China interferes in the affairs of other countries and does not take into account the interests of others.
“This decision will facilitate travel to China for many German citizens to an unprecedented extent,” Germany’s ambassador to China, Patricia Flohr, said on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
She added, “We hope that the Chinese government will implement the measures announced today for all EU member states.”
She said that visa-free travel to Germany for Chinese citizens will only be possible if all members of the European Schengen Agreement agree.
The head of foreign trade at the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) hailed the announcement of the temporary visa exemption as “an important signal that can enhance tourism and economic exchange.”
“Above all, the regulation facilitates the maintenance of German machinery, the guarantee of ‘Made in Germany’ quality, the exchange of projects and the development of contacts between people,” Volker Trier said in an interview with Reuters.
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, who is in Beijing, wrote on X: “An excellent new announcement on the occasion of my visit from my counterpart Wang Yi!”
This month, China expanded its visa-free transit policy to 54 countries to include citizens of Norway.
In August, China removed all coronavirus testing requirements for incoming travellers. It resumed 15-day visa-free entry for Singapore and Brunei citizens in July.
International flights in and out of the country have rebounded, although they are recovering more slowly than services on the domestic network.
China’s aviation authority said in October that 16,680 weekly flights are expected to be operated from November to March, with passenger flights expected to reach 71% of the total four years ago.
The European Chamber of Commerce in China also said the move would help boost business confidence. He added, “It is positive that the authorities are taking steps to facilitate exchanges between people.”
(Reporting by Joe Cash, Ethan Wang, Ryan Wu and Renee Wagner; Preparing by Mohammed for the Arabic Bulletin; Preparing by Mohammed for the Arabic Bulletin) Editing by Kim Coghill, Miral Fahmy and Toby Chopra
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