Germans and tourists from several other countries no longer need a visa for trips to China that do not last longer than 15 days. The initially temporary measure is intended to promote tourism.
Germans who want to travel to China will no longer need a visa in the future – provided they do not stay in the People’s Republic for longer than 15 days. As Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning announced, the regulation will apply from December 1st and initially for one year.
Visa exemption also applies to people with French, Italian, Dutch, Spanish and Malaysian passports – for business trips, tourism, transit and visits from friends and family. The Foreign Ministry did not say on what basis the communist state and party leadership selected the five EU states.
Chinese still need visas for the Schengen area
The whole thing is happening unilaterally from the Chinese side. This means that Chinese people traveling to the European Schengen area, to which most EU countries belong, still need a visa. According to the Foreign Ministry in Beijing, the decision is intended to promote exchange between China and foreign countries and to open up further.
By easing entry rules, the authorities are apparently hoping to give a boost to the tourism sector. China’s borders were largely closed for almost three years during the country’s strict zero-Covid policy. The borders have been open again since the beginning of this year. However, foreign tourists have so far been very hesitant to come to China. One reason for this is probably the extremely bureaucratic process for applying for a visa.
Benjamin Eyssel, ARD Beijing, tagesschau, November 24th, 2023 5:24 p.m