China has decided to extend its current visa-free policy for countries including Korea and Japan through the end of next year.
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on the 3rd that it will extend the visa-waiver deadline approaching at the end of this year for 45 countries, including Korea and Japan, to Dec. 31 next year, and will newly include Sweden among the visa-free countries.
The list of countries with extended visa-free status includes 32 European nations such as France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain. The visa-free measure was also extended to six Asian countries including Korea, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain; two Oceania countries, Australia and New Zealand; and five Latin American countries, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Uruguay.
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that holders of ordinary passports from these countries can stay in China without a visa for up to 30 days for purposes such as business, tourism, visiting relatives and friends, exchange visits, and transit. Seeking to address sluggish domestic demand, China has gradually expanded the pilot visa-free policy since November 2023, and Korea was first included in November last year. The temporary visa-free measures announced successively for various countries last year were set to expire on Dec. 31 this year.
Mao Ning, Spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a regular briefing that the visa-free policy was extended "to implement the spirit of the 20th Central Committee's fourth plenary session and expand high-level opening to the outside world, and to continuously facilitate cross-border exchanges."