Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

 
China has decided to extend the visa exemption policy for countries including France, Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

The remarks came in a response to a media inquiry regarding China's unilateral visa exemption policy for certain countries is set to expire at the end of this year.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Monday that to implement the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, which vows to expand high-level opening-up, and continuously facilitate personnel exchanges between China and other countries, China has decided to extend the visa exemption policy for countries including France until December 31, 2026. 

Additionally, China will implement a visa exemption policy for Sweden from November 10, 2025 to December 31, 2026, Mao said. 

For specific information, please refer to the announcements from the Department of Consular Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Chinese embassies and consulates abroad, Mao said. 

Qin Jing, a vice president of Trip.com Group, said that this move will provide more stable policy expectations for European travelers to China, demonstrating the country's firm commitment to advancing high-level opening-up. 

By continuously optimizing visa policies, it will offer greater convenience for international personnel exchanges and promote practical cooperation between China and other countries in various fields such as economy, trade, culture and tourism, Qin said. 

Market data also reflects the boost that the visa exemption policy has given to inbound tourism. 

Data from Trip.com showed that, during the National Day holidays this year, visa-exempt European countries such as France ranked among the key source countries for inbound travels to China. Travel bookings from France to China increased by approximately 40 percent compared with the same period last year.

China's National Immigration Administration (NIA) announced on Monday that the country's 240-hour visa-free transit program will be expanded to five more ports in Guangdong Province, as part of China's latest efforts to further deepen its opening-up policy, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Three of the new ports are located in Guangzhou, Zhuhai's Hengqin and Zhongshan, along with the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the West Kowloon Station of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link.

The new policy, effective Wednesday, will raise the total number of ports eligible for the 240-hour visa-free transit from 60 to 65.

Travelers from 55 eligible countries who meet certain criteria can enter China through any of the 65 ports across 24 provincial-level regions and stay in the country for up to 240 hours, or 10 days, without a visa before heading to a third destination, according to the NIA.

Global Times