The delegations of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives made an official visit to China this week, which was the first visit in eight years.
During this visit, the Chairperson of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives, Takeshi Niinami, required Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng that China drops the visa requirements for nationals of Japan, VisaGuide.World reports.
China previously permitted unrestricted entry for nationals of Japan. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, visa requirements were imposed, and visa-free travel has not been resumed since then.
As explained by Asia News, Niimani said that Japanese nationals should be exempted from the requirement to obtain a visa if they plan to stay within the territory of China for a short period of time.
While other details of their meeting were not shared, Niimani said to the reporters that during this meeting with Han, he felt a positive will from the Chinese side regarding visa exemption.
As for Han, he said that they expect to continue working together with Japan and strengthen their efforts to help both countries deepen their cooperation.
I expect [the Japan Association of Corporate Executives] to continue acting as a bridge for China-Japan economic and trade exchange and helping the two countries deepen their cooperation.
The call from the Japan Association of Corporate Executives for China to permit visa-free entry for Japanese comes after China decided to add another nine countries to the list of states whose nationals are not required to obtain visas for the purpose of entering China for short stays.
Nationals of These 9 Countries Are Eligible for Visa-Free Entry to China From November 8
The Chinese authorities announced just earlier this week that starting November 8, nationals of South Korea, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Slovakia, Andorra, Monaco, and Liechtenstein will be eligible for visa-free entry.
By extending visa-free entry to these additional countries, China wants to attract more foreign visitors as well as strengthen people-to-people connections.
Announcing the news on the exemption, the Foreign Ministry of China stressed that citizens of the nine countries mentioned above will be able to enter China without applying for a visa provided that their stay in the country does not exceed 15 days.
This means that those who plan to stay in China for more than 15 days will continue to be subject to the visa requirements.
The Ministry further highlighted that visa-free entry is possible only for those entering China for tourism, business, family visits or transit purposes.
The visa-free entry regime for the above-mentioned countries is not permanent. They will be able to enter China without a visa only until December 31, 2025. However, this measure might get extended.