{"id":13355,"date":"2023-12-01T06:30:56","date_gmt":"2023-12-01T06:30:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focus.cbbc.org\/?p=13355"},"modified":"2025-04-23T09:04:18","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T09:04:18","slug":"could-uk-visitors-be-granted-visa-free-entry-to-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focus.cbbc.org\/could-uk-visitors-be-granted-visa-free-entry-to-china\/","title":{"rendered":"Could UK visitors be granted visa-free entry to China?"},"content":{"rendered":"

On 24 November 2023, China announced a new visa-free entry policy for ordinary passport holders from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia, effective from 1 December 2023 to 30 November 2024. This policy allows for business and tourism for up to 15 days per entry.<\/p>\n

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The timing of this announcement and the countries selected have prompted speculation. Apart from Malaysia, which on 26 November announced that Chinese tourists could visit the country visa-free for 30 days, none of the other countries have reciprocal visa-free agreements in place for Chinese visitors.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, the announcement roughly coincided with a meeting between China\u2019s Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his French counterpart Catherine Colonna, and comes ahead of a scheduled EU-China Summit in early December. These events aim to improve relations and facilitate travel for foreign investors from European countries, aligning with China’s broader strategy to attract investors and strengthen economic ties in the face of an economic slowdown<\/a> and a decrease in foreign investment.<\/p>\n