InsiderBLM Asia
After a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic, China will resume issuing all visas on Wednesday in an effort to boost its tourism and economy.
One of the last significant nations to reopen its borders to travelers was China. After it declared a Tuesday, the announcement “a resounding victory” in February over COVID-19.
Beginning on Wednesday, all visa types will be issued. Visa-free entry will also be reinstated at locations like Hainan Island and for cruise ships entering Shanghai that were previously exempt from the requirement under COVID-19.
Foreign nationals may enter China if they have valid visas that were issued before March 28, 2020. Foreigners traveling from Hong Kong and Macao to Guangdong in southern China will once again be able to enter without a visa. However, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters on Tuesday that China had “optimized measures for remote testing of people coming to China from relevant countries,” allowing pre-boarding antigen testing rather than nucleic acid testing. The notice did not specify whether vaccination records or negative COVID-19 tests would be necessary.
“All of these have been effectively carried out, and the epidemic risk is typically under control, according to Wang, who spoke at a daily briefing.
The action would “the notice published on the websites of numerous Chinese missions and embassies “further facilitate the exchange of Chinese and foreign personnel”.
China maintained its strict policy “To try to stop the virus, the government used a “zero-COVID” strategy that included sudden lockdowns and daily COVID-19 testing before abandoning the majority of the strategy in December in the face of mounting opposition.
According to Wang, China’s approval of outbound group tours for Chinese nationals, the results of which have been encouraging, and the general improvement in pandemic conditions led to the relaxation of visa requirements.
On the basis of scientific assessments and in light of the situation, China will continue to make better provisions for the safe, healthy, and orderly movement of Chinese and foreign personnel, he said. “We also hope that China will work with all parties to support the development of cross-border exchanges.”
