The Chinese authorities have announced plans to unilaterally permit visa-free entry for citizens of Ireland.
The plans of the country were shared by the Chinese Premier Li Qiang during his visit to Dublin, where he said that China wants to facilitate personnel exchanges between the two countries, VisaGuide.World reports.
While in Dublin, Li Qiang said that increased cooperation between China and Ireland would be beneficial for both parties. The same stressed that China is willing to deepen its cooperation with Ireland in different areas and wants to facilitate people-to-people and personnel exchanges further.
The two sides should jointly safeguard a free and open international trading system, maintain the stability and smoothness of global industrial and supply chains, practice true multilateralism, bridge differences through dialogue, resolve disputes through cooperation, promote the improvement of global governance, better promote common development, and avoid chaos.
China has introduced many facilitations related to visas in recent months. The country’s travel and tourism sector was one of the most affected in the world by the Coronavirus pandemic, leaving it in lockdown for months.
Now that there is no risk, China is trying to attract as many tourists and investors as possible to the country.
Just recently, Li Qiang also announced plans to grant unilateral visa-free travel to Switzerland. The move comes in an attempt to attract more visitors from Switzerland to the country.
While there has been no confirmation on the matter yet, it is believed that the officials will come out with a statement.
China has already dropped the visa requirement and has facilitated the visa rules for some countries.
On December 1, 2023, China dropped the visa requirement for all passport holders of Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, and Malaysia as part of its move to become a more appealing destination for international travelers.
Nonetheless, the visa-free travel regime for these countries will not be permanent, with it applying only until November 30, 2024.
The lifting of the visa requirement for these six countries has proven to be effective. China has reported an increase in the number of tourist arrivals from Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, and Malaysia following the introduction of visa-free travel.
About 118,000 visitors from these countries entered China without a visa in December of last year alone. The number of entries by the end of this month is expected to be high, too.
As part of the country’s move to attract more visitors, China has also eased the visa application rules for Americans.
Citizens of the US applying for a Chinese tourist visa are no longer required to submit proof of accommodation, roundtrip proof, or their itinerary or invitation letter.