China’s foreign minister Wang Yi has announced that citizens of six more European countries will no longer require visas from next Thursday, according to multiple media reports.
The countries are Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium and Luxembourg. Their citizens will be able to enter China for business, leisure and visiting friends and relatives without bureaucratic hassles.
Presently, exemptions are granted to citizens of Thailand, Singapore, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia. Visa-free stays of up to 15 days are allowed.
[See more: Macao-based foreigners should have visa-free access to Hengqin, says legislator]
Wang made the announcement yesterday, at a press conference in Beijing, held on the sidelines of China’s annual “two sessions” – meetings of the National People’s Congress and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference
“We hope more countries will also offer Chinese citizens visa facilitation and work with us to build fast-track networks for cross-border travels and encourage speedy resumption of international passenger flights,” he said.
The new scheme is part of a bid to revive China’s inbound tourism market, which dried up under the country’s draconian zero-Covid policies. A similar initiative involves making it easier for foreigners to navigate the country’s virtually cashless payments system.
