Beijing, China

To boost to its economy following a Covid-era slump, China has decided to offer free visa services to six countries - France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Malaysia. 

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The visa exemptions will last from December 1, 2023 to November 30, 2024. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning during a press conference on Friday (Nov 24) said that citizens from these countries will be able to enter China and stay for 15 days for business, tourism, family visits, and transit reasons. 

"To further facilitate cross-border travel and China’s high-quality development and high-standard opening up, China has decided to apply unilateral visa-free policy to more countries on a trial basis, which involves extending visa-free treatment to travelers holding ordinary passports from six countries, namely France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Malaysia," the Chinese spokesperson said. 

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China with its zero-Covid policies and stringent lockdown saw a downward trend in its tourism sector. The country's highhandedness in dealing with the pandemic included isolating the country by shutting down its borders, and a social media crackdown on those who spoke against these policies.  

Later, the country lifted many restrictions on international travel, and now with visa-free services, it is further easing up on the travel norms, creating a conducive environment for travelers. 

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China has seen a major condemnation from many Western countries in its handling of the pandemic with many raising concerns over human rights violations.  

24 countries have negative views of China   

Reuters while quoting the latest Pew Research Center survey in 24 countries said that views about China are largely negative. About 67 per cent of adults had unfavourable views. 

China, it turned out in the survey, is also looked upon as a country that interferes in the affairs of other countries.

This view is of half of the respondents. Reacting to China's offering of visa-free services, Germany's ambassador to China Patricia Flor welcomed the decision and reportedly said, "This decision will facilitate travel to China for many German citizens to an unprecedented extent."

"We hope that the Chinese government will implement the measures announced today for all EU member states," she added. 

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However, conversely, the envoy said that visa-free travel to Germany for Chinese nationals can only happen if all members of the European Schengen Agreement are approved. Other leaders also welcomed the move by China, including France. In November, China expanded its visa-free transit policy to 54 countries. 

(With inputs from agencies)