A group of foreign tourists poses for a photo at the Palace Museum in Beijing, on April 25, 2024. [Photo provided to CHINA DAILY]
China’s visa-free policy and other measures aimed at enhancing international exchanges have substantially increased the number of foreign arrivals in Beijing. As of June 30, the total reached 1.02 million, showing a remarkable 257 percent year-on-year increase.
Following the policy’s success, China has further expanded the scope of visa-free countries in a bid to facilitate exchanges between Chinese and foreign nationals.
From Monday until Dec 31, 2025, holders of ordinary passports from New Zealand, Australia and Poland can enjoy a visa-free policy when visiting China for up to 15 days for business, tourism, family visits or transit.
Previously, China unilaterally implemented visa-free policies for holders of ordinary passports from six countries, including France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia, and later applied the same policy to Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium and Luxembourg.
According to officials from the Beijing General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection, this year alone, 159,000 foreign nationals from these 12 countries have entered China visa-free, accounting for nearly 70 percent of the total number of visitors from these countries, showing an upward trend in visitor numbers.
