Could UK visitors be granted visa-free entry to China?

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.

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.

Nevertheless, the announcement roughly coincided with a meeting between China’s 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 and a decrease in foreign investment.

The move is part of the gradual softening of China’s entry requirements following the lifting of its Covid-era restrictions in early 2023. China resumed its pre-Covid visa and entry policies in March 2023, including the 144-hour visa-free transit policy, which allows foreign travellers transiting through the country to enjoy a six-day stay in certain Chinese cities without a visa. Later, in September 2023, the country rolled out simplifications to its visa application form, reducing the amount of information related to educational background, family members, and travel history applicants need to provide.

It is hoped that this latest move will serve as a trial for wider visa-free entry policies, and that more countries will be added to the exemption in the future.

There has been no indication of if or when UK visitors can expect the same visa-free entry, and the British government has made no specific comment on the announcement. Relations between the UK and China have cooled somewhat in recent years, which could well have pushed the UK further down the list of countries likely to be granted visa-free travel.

Although some have speculated that David Cameron’s surprise return to government could signify the resumption of a more gung-ho attitude to cooperation with China, at a recent Global Investment Summit at Hampton Court Palace, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak emphasised that the UK’s ties with China would not return to the so-called ‘Golden Era’, saying that China had changed, and “it’s right that [the UK’s] strategy evolves to take account of that.” Nevertheless, the UK has still been taking steps to strengthen its economic and trade relationship with China, especially following former Foreign Secretary James Cleverly’s visit to China in August 2023. “The only way to influence China is to engage with China,” Mr Cleverly stressed in a video shared on the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office’s (FCDO) social channels at the time. “That is why I’m here in Beijing. That is why I am meeting with Chinese ministers. That is why diplomacy is so incredibly important.”

In conclusion, while the UK is not included in China’s current visa-free policy, the situation remains dynamic. As recently as October 2023, China removed the requirement to make an appointment to apply for a visa at the Chinese Visa Application Service Centre and will now allow walk-ins. The ongoing developments in international relations and China’s broader strategy of economic integration and facilitation of global travel could potentially lead to future changes in visa policies for UK travellers. For now, business and other travellers from the UK must adhere to the existing visa application procedures.