China to Grant Visa-Free Entry to Citizens of Greece, Slovenia, and Norway.
In a recent announcement, China revealed that citizens from Greece and Slovenia will soon be able to visit the country without a visa, for stays of up to 15 days. This follows a similar visa waiver granted to Norwegian nationals earlier this month.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, currently attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York, made the announcement after meetings with Slovenian Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon and Greek Foreign Minister Georgios Gerapetritis.
Wang Yi highlighted the longstanding friendship between China and Slovenia, stating, “The decision to grant visa exemption to Slovenian citizens will enhance friendly exchanges and deepen mutual trust between our two nations.” He emphasized the importance of this move for fostering closer ties.
Regarding Greece, Wang Yi noted the historical connections between the two ancient civilizations and the Silk Road. He expressed appreciation for Greece’s friendly stance towards China and stressed the need to strengthen their comprehensive strategic partnership. “The visa-free policy for Greece will facilitate people-to-people exchanges and cultural interactions,” Wang Yi added.
Earlier this month, during a visit to China, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre met with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Following their discussions, President Xi announced that Norwegian citizens would also soon be able to travel to China without a visa. “This will ease travel for Norwegians, including business representatives and students, and foster closer cooperation between our countries,” said Støre.
With the addition of Greece, Slovenia, and Norway, a total of 18 countries will benefit from China’s visa-free travel policy for tourism, trade, family visits, or transit until December 31, 2025.
China had previously introduced a 15-day visa-free entry policy for visitors from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Malaysia starting December 1, 2023. Since March 14, 2024, travelers from Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Ireland, Hungary, and Austria have also been exempted from visa requirements. The policy was further expanded on July 1, 2024, to include citizens of Poland, Australia, and New Zealand.
The United Kingdom is seeking an extension of this visa waiver policy to include British nationals.
China’s visa waiver initiative aims to revitalize its tourism sector, which is recovering from pandemic setbacks, and to stimulate trade by making short-term business trips easier. The country has also streamlined visa procedures by optimizing application forms, removing COVID-19 travel restrictions, eliminating appointment requirements, reducing consular fees, and suspending fingerprinting requirements until the end of 2025.
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