China has signed full visa exemption agreements with 25 countries

(ECNS) -- China has signed full visa exemption agreements with 25 countries, authorities told a regular policy briefing on Friday.

To date, China has concluded mutual visa-free agreements with 157 countries and regions covering different types of passports, said Tong Xuejun, deputy director general of consular affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at a briefing.

He noted that China has extended a unilateral visa-free policy to 29 countries, including France and Germany, allowing foreign citizens with valid ordinary passports to enter China for tourism and business, including via cruise or visa-free transit, or to enter Hainan Province for up to 30 days without a visa.

A new version of the Chinese visa application form was introduced, with 34 percent of items optimized and simplified. Chinese embassies and consulates have also cancelled visa appointments and further expanded the scope of fingerprint exemption.

Such policies have made visa procedures for foreigners coming to China more convenient, Tong said.

He mentioned that China has reached agreements on mutually issuing 5-year and 10-year multi-entry visas with countries including Australia and Brazil and has issued 5-year multi-entry visas to citizens from Central and Eastern Europe and other countries since this year.

Meanwhile, it has joined the APEC Business Travel Card Scheme, facilitating the movement of businesspeople within the Asia-Pacific region, Tong stated. He added that China will provide more convenience for foreign citizens, particularly businesspeople, to support high-quality development and the country’s high-level opening.