Since reopening to international tourism in March 2023, international arrivals numbers to China have been lower than anticipated by that country’s government. To encourage more foreign tourists to visit, Beijing has temporarily eliminated tourism visas for a number of countries, mostly in the EU. Starting 1 July of this year, there will now be Chinese visa-free access for three more countries.
Joining the likes of Ireland, Luxembourg, and Hungary, citizens of Australia, New Zealand, and Poland will soon be able to explore China for up to 15 days without a visa. This includes folks traveling for tourism, business, transit, and visitors of friends and relatives. This scheme is slated to last until at least 31 December 2025.
Note that citizens of these three countries were already able to obtain visa-free transit access for either 72-hours or 144-hours, depending on the layover airport. Also, Australian, New Zealand, and Chinese holders of APEC travel cards are able to visit one another’s country visa-free for varying lengths of time. This is an oversimplification of card benefits; not to mention, valid passports are obviously still required.
Nevertheless, Chinese visa-free access for three more countries sounds like a score for Aussie, Kiwi, and Polish travelers.
In their announcement, the Chinese government not-so-subtly intimated a quid pro quo plan. Maybe Australia, New Zealand, and Poland will promise to expedite visa processing, but to offer visa-exemptions is a horse of a different color.
Meanwhile, if you are looking for some suggestions for your next China trip, I have tended to use HKG as my international flight base. Ironically, HKG is one of my least favorite airports, but holistically it’s less of a drag than flying to/from China. Besides, there are buses, ferries, and trains from HK that make access the Pearl River Delta airports (i.e. for domestic flights) that much easier.
One could cross from Hong Kong to Shenzhen, then take in its exceptional diverse range of regional Chinese fare.
Then, hop on a train to Guangzhou, which has slowly become my second favorite city in the country (thus far). It’s a very old, very historic, and generally very gritty place.
On the other hand, this.
Check out one of Guangzhou’s numerous parks, mosques, temples, or even ancient sluices unearthed in shopping center basements. For food, the yum cha + dim sum combo is a classic default, but for a sleeper hit, try the city’s de facto Muslim quarter Xiaobei.
After Guangzhou, where would in China would you go?
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