Question by a journalist from Dragon TV at the regular press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on March 4: According to reports, last Friday, the China-Thailand visa exemption agreement officially took effect. Data shows that on March 1, the number of Thai tourists traveling to China tripled compared to last year, reflecting an increase of over 160% compared to 2019. With the increasing enthusiasm of foreign tourists visiting China, what assistance will China provide to facilitate their visits?

 

Answer by the spokesperson Mao Ning: As China's visa-free "circle of friends" continues to expand, the number of inbound tourists has significantly increased. During the Spring Festival, 3.23 million foreign tourists came to China, representing a remarkable increase in the number of tourists from countries such as France, Germany, Malaysia, and Singapore, which are newly added to the list of countries whose citizens can enter China without a visa. The total number of inbound tourist orders from these countries during the Spring Festival doubled compared to the same period in 2019.

 

To facilitate cross-border travel, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has launched the "Three Reductions and Three Exemptions" policy, which involves reductions in the content of visa application forms, phased reductions in visa fees, simplifying procedures for studying in China, exempting some applicants from fingerprinting, exempting visa appointments, and implementing a unilateral visa-free policy for countries including France and Germany. To address the difficulty of foreign nationals using mobile payments, the People's Bank of China has instructed payment institutions to improve card binding efficiency, simplify identity verification arrangements, and increase the single transaction limit for mobile payments; Beijing has promoted the upgrading of key commercial districts, tourist attractions, parks, and hotels to accept foreign cards and established demonstration zones of payment services for overseas visitors at Beijing Capital International Airport and Daxing International Airport; and Shanghai has provided foreign card POS machines in hotels, tourist attractions, and other places. In addition, major telecommunications suppliers have added multiple service outlets at airports and ports of entry in main cities to facilitate foreign nationals in obtaining mobile phone numbers upon entry.

 

We welcome more foreign friends to visit China and will continue to provide them with a safe, comfortable, and convenient travel environment.