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WSJ News says China Reopens to Foreign Tourists
Mar
WSJ News has informed that in a brief statement Monday, the Embassy said China’s borders would be reopened to holders of valid visas on Wednesday and that it would begin accepting applications for new visas for foreign citizens, including for tourist travel to China.
The relaxation now on inbound tourist travel will affect a much larger category of people who might want to go to the country.
The move, which takes effect at midnight on Wednesday Beijing time, is being made to further facilitate the movement of Chinese citizens and tourists, the Embassy said.
After China suspended many visas and visa services in March 2020, it blocked most foreigners from going to the country. All along it has made some exceptions for some businesspeople and students, but it virtually shut down tourist travel.
The latest move suggests Beijing will accept visas that were previously suspended so long as they remain within the validity date. How China would treat certain existing visas has been a major question for business travelers and others who in many cases had multiple-entry visas valid for as long as 10 years, and which saw those visas suspended early in the pandemic informed WSJ News.
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During the pandemic, China closed its U.S.-based visa offices, discontinued in-person appointments, and required application materials, including passports, to be mailed in. Anyone entering the country was subjected to lengthy quarantine requirements. Travel to China fell sharply.
China had maintained some of the world’s most restrictive coronavirus lockdown measures, which slowed its economy and frustrated locals and foreign business people alike. Following protests last autumn and amid signs that its lockdowns weren’t containing the virus spread, authorities abruptly abandoned its strict zero-Covid strategy in December.
China no longer requires foreign visitors to quarantine. Monday’s statement didn’t mention any policies specific to Covid-19, such as testing requirements.