China expands visa free entry for Europeans

China’s resolution permitting visa-free entry to six additional European countries—Austria, Belgium, Hungary, Ireland, Luxembourg and Switzerland—will come into effect today.

Citizens from the listed countries will be granted stay for up to 15 days without a visa for the purposes of business and traveling. The Chinese government’s decision came shortly after the Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo’s two-day state trip to Beijing. During the visit, the parties agreed to start a new chapter in EU-China relations, as they stressed the necessity to boost bilateral cooperation.

Beijing’s move is aimed at increasing foreign investment and bringing the tourism sector back to its pre-pandemic level in the short-to medium-term. Although this resolution could be viewed as a positive signal, Beijing and Brussels remain at odds over several different foreign policy issues. Tensions rose over China’s ambiguous relations with Russia during the war in Ukraine, and the EU’s skepticism of Beijing’s human rights records. With that in mind, expect the major policy differences to act as a barrier for reconciliation. This will likely halt any future talks aimed at improving bilateral relations