Would you like to receive notifications on latest updates of the following headlines?

China expands Visa-free entry to more countries to boost economy

POSTED ON November 22, 2024 •   World      BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara
Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing on Nov. 14, 2024. l Credit: AP Photo

On Friday, China announced that it would expand visa-free entry to citizens of nine more countries as it seeks to boost tourism and business travel to help revive a sluggish economy.

 Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said starting Nov. 30, travelers from Bulgaria, Romania, Malta, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Estonia, Latvia and Japan will be able to enter China for up to 30 days without a visa.

That will bring to 38 the number of countries that have been granted visa-free access since last year. Only three countries had visa-free access previously, and theirs had been eliminated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The permitted length of stay for visa-free entry is being increased from the previous 15 days, Lin said, and people participating in exchanges will be eligible for the first time.

The Associated Press reported that China has been pushing people-to-people exchange between students, academics and others to try to improve its sometimes strained relations with other countries.

China strictly restricted entry during the pandemic and ended its restrictions much later than most other countries. It restored the previous visa-free access for citizens of Brunei and Singapore in July 2023, and then expanded visa-free entry to six more countries, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia on Dec. 1 of last yea

The program has since been expanded in tranches. Some countries have announced visa-free entry for Chinese citizens, notably Thailand, which wants to bring back Chinese tourists.

For the three months from July through September this year, China recorded 8.2 million entries by foreigners, of which 4.9 million were visa-free, the official Xinhua News Agency said, quoting a Foreign Ministry consular official.

READ ALSO
JUST IN : Vatican appoint New Pope
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara May 8, 2025 0

The Vatican has appointed Cardinal Robert Prevost as Pope Leo XIV, marking him as the 267th leader o...

READ ALSO
EU Unveils Plan to Eliminate Russian Gas Imports by 2027
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara May 8, 2025 0

The EU introduced a long-awaited initiative to eliminate its remaining gas imports from Russia by th...

READ ALSO
ECOWAS Leaders Call for Action against High Airfares to Boost Regional Integration
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara May 7, 2025 0

Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament Mémounatou Ibrahima and other stakeholders have decried the...

READ ALSO
A armed man shoot dead outside Hendricks County Courthouse
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara May 5, 2025 0

An armed man was shot and killed outside the Hendricks County Courthouse on Monday afternoon, prompt...

READ ALSO
Potential successors to Pope Francis as conclave approaches
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara May 5, 2025 0

Without any formal campaigning or official candidate list, the election process remains largely opaq...

READ ALSO
ECOWAS leaders appeal to Sahel states to reconsider withdrawal
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara May 2, 2025 0

Members of the ECOWAS Parliament have urged Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger (Sahel States) to reconsid...

READ ALSO
Saudi unveil customs regulations ahead of hajj pilgrimage
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara May 1, 2025 0

As the annual Islamic Hajj pilgrimage approaches, authorities in Saudi Arabia have outlined Customs...

READ ALSO
Pope Francis to be buried April 26
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara April 23, 2025 0

Pope Francis’s funeral will be held on Saturday, the Vatican announced Tuesday, as world leade...

OUR CHANNELS:

N50 Million Fraud: Court of Appeal Affirms Conviction of Former Guaranty Trust Bank Employee
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara May 9, 2025 0

The Court of Appeal in Enugu has affirmed the conviction and seven-year prison sentence of Onyekachi...


Man steals ₦20m worth of wigs in Police custody
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara May 9, 2025 0

A man named Austine, along with his accomplices, stole wigs worth ₦20 million from a moving truck on...


JUST IN : Vatican appoint New Pope
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara May 9, 2025 0

The Vatican has appointed Cardinal Robert Prevost as Pope Leo XIV, marking him as the 267th leader o...


Rep to Investigate N200b CBN Loan for National Mass Metering Programme
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara May 9, 2025 0

The House of Representatives is set to examine the allocation and use of the N200 billion Naira loan...


Senate Approves Key Tax Reforms, Retains VAT at 7.5%
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara May 8, 2025 0

Eight months after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu presented four tax reform bills to the National Assem...


EU Unveils Plan to Eliminate Russian Gas Imports by 2027
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara May 9, 2025 0

The EU introduced a long-awaited initiative to eliminate its remaining gas imports from Russia by th...


Police present human parts as evidence in Kwara student’s murder
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara May 9, 2025 0

KWARA, Nigeria - The trial of Abdulrahman Bello and his alleged accomplices in the suspected ritual...


Edo Speaker Defects to APC, Cites Constituency Development as Key Reason
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara May 8, 2025 0

EDO, Nigeria - The Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Blessing Agbebaku, has provi...


124,408 Terrorists Surrender as Nigeria Strengthens National Security
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara May 9, 2025 0

ABUJA, Nigeria - Minister of Defence Abubakar Badaru stated on Wednesday that President Bola Ahmed T...


LASG Issues 8,856 Planning Permits to Enhance Building Safety
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara May 9, 2025 0

LAGOS, Nigeria - The Lagos State Government has announced that it granted 8,856 planning permits ove...


More Articles

Load more...

Menu