China will resume issuing various visas for foreigners from March 15 according to China Embassy for Washington on March 13, adding that China will lift restrictions issued due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The removal of this last cross-border control measure imposed to guard against COVID-19 comes after authorities last month declared victory over the virus. According to AFP, the Embassy said besides new travel documents that will be issued, the visa that has been issued since March 28 of 2020 will be still applied to visit China.
This new policy will likely give free visa travel for those who arrive on a cruise ship to Shanghai and a certain group from Hong Kong, Macau, and some ASEAN countries, according to the report.
While a lot of countries has opened their border sooner, China is considered late to the game since Beijing has just lifted the zero-covid policy a few months ago. China’s national immigration agency was applying a strict rule to issue new visas and limit its citizen travel abroad for non-essential matters to stop covid-19 disease.
As this policy will increase its foreign exchange, it is in line with Li Qiang, a longtime Xi ally that promoted to the premier and responsible for rebuilding China’s economy after three years of Covid restrictions. Entrepreneurs and businesses in China would be given space and ample opportunities to develop in a rules-based environment and a “culture of respect”, the premier told reporters during his first media briefing.
But the resumption of visa issuance for tourist marks a broader push by Beijing to normalize two-way travel between China and the world, having withdrawn its advisory to citizens against foreign travel in January.
In a further relaxation of controls on outbound tourism, China added another 40 countries to its list for which group tours are allowed, bringing the total number of countries to 60, according to Reuters.
But the list still excludes Japan, South Korea, Australia, and the United States. Relations between these countries have been unstable since AUKUS unveiled their nuclear-powered submarines to counter China’s strong naval army.