An airplane flies over the Ezhou Huahu Airport in Ezhou, central China's Hubei Province, Dec. 29, 2021. Photo: Xinhua

German businesses on Thursday welcomed a move by the Chinese Embassy in Germany to further ease travel rules for German personnel traveling to China for work resumption, expressing their commitment to long-term development in the Chinese market despite the protracted pandemic and downward economic pressure.

Effective Wednesday, travelers from Germany who intended to come to China to resume work and production no longer needed an invitation letter issued by relevant Chinese departments when applying for a business or visitor visa, the Chinese Embassy in Germany announced on the same day.

The move covers German personnel in fields such as trade and economy, education, technology, sports and culture, according to a notice.

"The further optimized visa policy will make it easier for our Germany-based executives to come to China, who've long been waiting to move and witness the accelerated growth of DHL Express in China," the company told the Global Times on Thursday.

In recent months, DHL Express China launched a number of projects, including infrastructure construction, new cargo routes and air freighter upgrades, aimed at delivering a commitment to long-term development in China.

Heraeus, a Germany-based international technology group, told the Global Times on Thursday that with the new visa policy, the company expects its top leaders from its global headquarters to travel to China more easily.

Previously, China cut the period in centralized quarantine for international arrivals from 14 days to seven days as the country aims for more targeted epidemic control.

In addition, more airlines are resuming international flights to and from China, as the latest round of COVID-19 outbreaks has been effectively put under control. On Tuesday, Lufthansa German Airlines resumed its direct flight between Frankfurt and Beijing on a weekly basis.

Despite the fallout of COVID-19 resurgences in the spring and the downward pressure on the Chinese economy, German companies remain optimistic about development potential in China and aim to expand their investment in the market, according to some business surveys.

"The Chinese market remains one of the most significant global markets for German companies: 71 percent of companies intend to increase their investments here," read a business confidence survey 2021/22 conducted by the German Chambers of Commerce Worldwide Network.

On Tuesday, a ceremony marking the 100-day countdown of this year's China International Import Expo (CIIE) was held in Ruijin, East China's Jiangxi Province, attracting the participation of over 100 exhibitors.

Ai Zhouping, president of Heraeus Greater China, said in a recent trip to Jiangxi for the CIIE that the promotion event impressed him with the vitality, potential and resilience of the Chinese market, the commitment of the Chinese government to expanding opening-up for economic development as well as the innovation of local companies.

The State Council, China's cabinet, stressed plans to attract foreign investment in its stimulus package of 33 measures unveiled in May.

The cabinet urged to accelerate major foreign investment projects, speed up the revision of the industry catalog of sectors that encourage foreign investment and further expand cross-border fund-raising channels for enterprises.