World welcomes China's optimized COVID-19 policies

Embassies and tourism bureaus around the world – including those in Austria, Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, New Zealand, Norway, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, and Thailand – have posted messages on China's social media platform Weibo welcoming Chinese tourists again after Beijing's optimization of the nation's COVID-19 control measures, including its immigration management policies.

"Welcome our Chinese friends with open arms!" France's embassy in China pinned on its Weibo social account.

"Embrace spring, summer, autumn, and winter, and travel in the Netherlands by bike in 2023!" Netherlands Board of Tourism &Conventions in Beijing said on Weibo as it welcomed Chinese tourists.

From Jan 8, China will resume the issuance of passports to Chinese citizens wanting to travel or visit friends overseas, and also resume endorsements for Chinese mainland residents wanting to visit the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for tourism and business purposes.

The country will resume the acceptance and examination of foreigners' applications for the extension, renewal and re-issuance of ordinary visa, the issuance, renewal and re-issuance of stay permit, and the issuance, extension, renewal and re-issuance of residence permit, National Immigration Administration of China said on Tuesday.

China will also lift its flight restrictions starting Jan 8, ending inbound international flight control measures known as the "Five One" policies, which were so named because a country could previously send only one flight from one airline via a single route just once per week, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said on Wednesday.

China announced earlier this week it would downgrade its management of the COVID-19 pandemic, from Class A to Class B, starting from Jan 8.