Washington, United States

China will again start issuing various visas to foreigners from Wednesday, announced the country's embassy in Washington.

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The issuance of visas will bring a major ease to the travel restrictions which were enforced since the Covid-19 pandemic's outbreak.

This is the latest move taken by the Chinese authorities towards reopening the country to the outside world, as gradually Beijing breaks its strict zero-Covid strategy which had defined its pandemic response, till a few months ago.

In a notice, the embassy stated that along with the new travel documents being reviewed and approved, the visas which were issued before March 28, 2020, and still remain valid will be given entry into China.

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“The updated policy will also allow for the resumption of visa-free travel for those arriving in cruise ships to Shanghai, as well as for certain tourist groups from Hong Kong, Macau and countries within the ASEAN regional grouping,” the notice read.

In 2019, China welcomed 65.7 million international visitors, according to the UN World Tourism Organisation's data, before the coronavirus pandemic forced the country to seal its border from the rest of the world.

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While many countries began welcoming international travellers and reopening their economies earlier, China started to emerge from its Covid containment policies in late 2022, after the country witnessed rare demonstrations against President Xi Jinping's signature zero-Covid strategy.

In December, China ended its mass testing, lifted lockdowns and stopped long quarantines, however, the sudden lift of strict Covid restrictions led to a spike in Covid cases.

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In late December, Beijing announced that the inbound travellers to the country would not be required to quarantine, however, then visa restrictions on foreigners remained in place.

Beijing, at the same time, said it would "continue to adjust its visa policy for foreigners visiting China in a scientific and dynamic manner in accordance with... the epidemic situation."

(With inputs from agencies)

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