China adds new countries to its visa-free entry list

On 14 March 2024, China expanded its visa-free entry policy to include Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, and Luxembourg. This policy allows for business and tourism for up to 15 days per entry.

This means the list of countries with visa-free entry to China now includes:

• Switzerland
• Ireland
• Hungary
• Austria
• Belgium
• Luxembourg
• Singapore
• Thailand
• France
• Germany
• Italy
• Netherlands
• Spain
• Malaysia

Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand have reciprocal visa-free agreements in place for Chinese visitors.

The move is part of a wider push to encourage foreign visitors to return to China in the post-pandemic era. And there is some indication that the policies are starting to work. According to People.cn, trips to China by the citizens of the first group of six countries granted visa-free status (France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia) totalled 147,000 from 1 December 2023 to 9 January 2024.

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. Since then, the country has rolled out a series of measures to make it easier for foreign visitors to enter the country, including simplified application forms and relaxed requirements for visas on arrival.

There has been no indication of if or when UK visitors can expect to enjoy a similar visa-free entry policy, and the British government has made no specific comment on the announcement. As the South China Morning Post reported, China “remains mindful of geopolitical considerations” and is almost certainly taking this into account when considering which countries to explore visa-free policies with.

Although some have speculated that David Cameron’s return to government could signify the resumption of a more gung-ho attitude to cooperation with China, at a Global Investment Summit at Hampton Court Palace in November 2023, 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 that “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, with the list of visa-free countries being updated on a fairly regular basis.