Tourexpi
Facilitated by the policies, Chinese tourists'
travel bookings to the latter three countries increased by over 30% compared to
2019, while bookings from all the mentioned countries to China doubled
against 2019.
A longer list of unilateral visa-free and mutual
visa exemption countries proves that China is opening its gate wider
and wider.
If we view things historically, this point becomes
even more loud and clear. China used to adopt a rather serious set of
visa policies. Later, China gradually began to lower visa thresholds
with the tide of globalization. Since 2013, the pace has stepped up. In 2018, a
policy that grants visa-free entry to citizens from 59 countries came into
effect in Hainan, as the first privilege policy for the Hainan Pilot Free
Trade Zone, and more importantly, a pilot for similar policies to be rolled out
nationwide. By now, China has reached mutual exemption agreements
with 157 countries covering different passport types, and enjoys comprehensive
mutual visa exemption with 23 countries.
Besides friendlier visa policies, improvements are
also being made in various sectors. For example, the China Railway authority
has launched online verification services for foreign passport holders; and the
People's Bank of China has guided the relevant organizations to
upgrade payment services for expats and tourists in China. Ameliorations
can be seen in various services concerning foreigners' investment,
entrepreneurship, tourism and education in the country.
During the past Chinese New Year holiday, more
stories were witnessed. A Chinese Singaporean made a spontaneous visit to her
Chinese relatives; there was also a French traveler who planned to visit Beijing,
but asked her Chinese travel agency to customize her itinerary because she was
mesmerized by the ice sculpture version of the "Notre Dame" in Harbin.
Visa-free policies as the first step in deepening friendly exchanges and
reciprocal collaborations have drawn China and other countries
nearer. What's more, improved convenience in systems and services at the
disposal of tourists and business people, are also examples of how China is
advancing its high-level opening-up, and further driving international
communication and collaboration.
As China's "friend circle"
expands with its visa exemption list, a new spring for the interaction between
people from China and other parts of the world will surely be ushered
in.
Image
Credit: © AA
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