Swiss and Irish nationals are the latest to be granted visa-free entry to China for short term visits in an increasing string of visa facilitation and wavers from the Asian country.
The two announcements were made during Chinese Premier Li Qiang’s visit to Europe amid the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. Both visa wavers are unilateral, the one to the WEF meeting host announced on 15 January and the one to Ireland two days later.
1. Switzerland and Ireland
China will apply a unilateral visa-free policy to Switzerland and Switzerland will provide more visa facilitation for Chinese citizens as well as Chinese enterprises investing in Switzerland, the two countries announced in Bern on Monday, 15 January, following a meeting between Li and the President of the Swiss Confederation Viola Amherd.
At the meeting, the two officials also discussed the joint feasibility study on upgrading the China-Switzerland Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and agreed to support the early launch of formal FTA upgrade negotiations. Moreover, the countries “will take the opportunity of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties next year to strengthen people-to-people exchanges”, the Chinese government said in a statement.
After attending the WEF meeting, Li headed to Dublin, where he met with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar on Wednesday, 17 January. After the meeting, China announced it will apply a unilateral visa-free policy to Ireland “to facilitate personnel exchanges between the two countries, [expecting] that Ireland will provide an open, fair and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese enterprises”.
“China is ready to work with Ireland to carry forward traditional friendship, consolidate political mutual trust, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation and share development opportunities more fully, in a bid to bring more benefits to the two countries and the two peoples”, Li said at the meeting.
2. Visa waivers
China has been granting visa-free entry to more and more countries recently, in a bid to boost tourism towards pre-pandemic levels. As one of the latest countries to scrap Covid-related travel restrictions and having had some of the strictest pandemic rules, China only started reconnecting with the world last year.
As of 1 December, citizens of 5 EU Member States, as well as Malaysia, are able to visit China visa-free for up to 15 days. Announced on 24 November, the visa exemption for France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain aims not only to promote tourism but also “to facilitate the high-quality development of Chinese and foreign personnel exchanges and high-level opening up to the outside world”, according to a briefing by Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning.
Moreover, from the beginning of this year, a mutual visa-waver for stays of up to 30 days was reinstated between China and Singapore. A similar agreement with Thailand will start applying from 1 March, while Belgium might soon be added to the list of visa-exempt European countries.
In a different approach to boosting tourism, China and France have declared 2024 a year of culture and tourism exchange, with a series of exhibitions and performances organised in both countries over the course of the year aimed at promoting each other as tourism destinations.
