China to restore visa-free regime for Japanese tourists

The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced today, November 22nd, that it will reinstate the visa-free regime for Japanese tourists, allowing them to stay for up to 30 days.

From 2003 to 2020, the maximum visa-free stay for Japanese citizens in China was 15 days. This visa-free regime in China has been suspended since March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced it will reinstate this policy and increase the maximum length of stay to 30 days. The new policy, effective from November 30th until the end of 2025, applies to travelers from Japan and eight other countries, including Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Malta, Estonia, and Latvia, according to Kyodo News.

Trung Quốc sắp khôi phục chế độ miễn thị thực cho du khách Nhật- Ảnh 1. — Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, China, on November 22nd.

China has waived visa requirements for short-term visitors from around 30 other countries, including Southeast Asian nations, European countries, and South Korea.

But before that, Beijing had called for granting visas to Chinese citizens on an "equal footing" as a condition for restarting the visa-free regime that Tokyo has repeatedly sought, according to Kyodo News, citing sources familiar with bilateral relations.

Japan requires all Chinese visitors to apply for a visa regardless of the length of their stay.

Kyodo News, citing a diplomatic source, reported that China's preferential visa policy is part of an effort to reach out to countries with close ties to the US and mitigate any negative impacts from increased competition between Beijing and Washington after US President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House in January 2025.

Hours after China's official announcement of visa waivers, Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru said his government had urged China to take such a step to expedite private exchanges between the two countries.

"We hope that bilateral exchanges will be further encouraged," Ishiba told reporters, emphasizing that enhanced Japan-China communication is the most important foundation for bilateral relations.

Prime Minister Ishiba and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed during their meeting in Peru last week to promote "mutually beneficial" and "stable" relations and boost people-to-people exchanges, according to Kyodo News.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/trung-quoc-sap-khoi-phuc-che-do-mien-thi-thuc-cho-du-khach-nhat-185241122195255681.htm