China's visa-free policy facilitates travels from six countries

Around 214,000 people from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Malaysia entered China in December 2023, an increase of 28.5 percent compared with November, according to the National Immigration Administration (NIA).　

According to the Kunming Entry-Exit Border Inspection Station, in one month, the station handled visa-free entry procedures for more than 15,000 eligible travelers from these six countries at the Kunming Airport, up 352 percent from a year earlier.　

China's unilateral visa-free policy for ordinary passport holders from these countries took effect on Dec. 1, facilitating inbound travels from there.　

Of these inbound trips, 118,000 were made by ordinary passport holders without a visa, accounting for 55.1 percent of all inbound trips from the six countries during this period. Around 91,000 visa-free entries were made for travel and business.　

(Reported by Du Xiaoxiao, Bai Ling; edited by Zhou Jing)