China will resume issuing visas to visitors on Wednesday, according to the country’s embassy in Washington. The granting of visas will significantly relax the travel restrictions that have been in place since the Covid-19 pandemic’s onset. This is the latest step taken by Chinese authorities to reopen the country to the outside world, as Beijing increasingly abandons its rigorous zero-Covid stance, which had defined its pandemic response until recently.
The embassy added in a notice that, in addition to the new travel documents being assessed and approved, visas issued before March 28, 2020, and still valid will be granted admission into China. “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.
China discontinued mass testing, lifted lockdowns, and ended protracted quarantines in December
According to UN World Tourism Organization figures, China received 65.7 million international visitors in 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic prompted the government to close its borders to the rest of the globe. While several countries began accepting overseas visitors and expanding their economies earlier, China began to break from its Covid confinement tactics in late 2022, following rare protests against President Xi Jinping’s distinctive zero-Covid plan.
China discontinued mass testing, lifted lockdowns, and ended protracted quarantines in December; yet, the abrupt lifting of severe Covid restrictions resulted in an increase in Covid cases. In late December, China stated that entering visitors would not be needed to quarantine, although visa restrictions on foreigners remained in effect. 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.”