China to permit visa-free entry to residents from 5 EU nations

The Chinese language authorities on Friday introduced that French, German, Italian, Dutch, Spanish and Malaysian residents will be capable of journey visa-free to China for a 12 months beginning December 1.

“China has determined to use unilateral visa-free coverage to extra nations on a trial foundation, which entails extending visa-free remedy to vacationers holding atypical passports from six nations, specifically France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia,” Chinese language international ministry’s spokesperson Mao Ning mentioned in a assertion. She added that residents from the named nations may keep for not more than 15 days for enterprise, tourism, household go to and transit functions.

French International Minister Catherine Colonna, who’s in Beijing, welcomed the announcement, saying on X: “Good news introduced throughout my go to by my counterpart Wang Yi!”

German Ambassador in Beijing Patricia Flor mentioned the choice will facilitate journey to China for a lot of German residents to an unprecedented extent. “We hope that the Chinese language authorities will implement the measures introduced as we speak for all EU member states. This might be an necessary enchancment of our residents’ mobility, enabling deeper private, cultural, and financial relations between China and the EU, she posted on X.