China offers visa-free entry to 9 more countries in renewed tourism and diplomatic push

Nationals from South Korea and Slovakia have been added to the list of people who do not need a visa to visit for up to 15 days

Jane Caiin

Beijing: People from nine more countries, including South Korea, Norway, Finland and Slovakia, will have visa-free entry to China from Friday, as Beijing tries to attract more tourists and improve international ties.

From November 8, nationals from these countries, which also include Denmark, Iceland, Andorra, Monaco and Liechtenstein, will be allowed to enter China for business, tourism, family visits or transit for up to 15 days without a visa, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said this week.

The policy will be in effect until the end of next year and take the total of countries in this category to 25.

The announcement followed President Xi Jinping’s meeting with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico in Beijing.

According to the ministry, Fico said Slovakia welcomed Chinese investments in its clean energy sector and was “willing to join the Friends of Peace”, a group spearheaded by China and Brazil to find a political settlement to the war in Ukraine.

Fico’s trip came just days after the European Commission, which oversees European Union trade policy, decided to impose tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles. Slovakia was one of the five EU countries that opposed the tariffs, counting on Chinese investment to help build an EV battery plant.

As he announced the elevation of ties with Slovakia to a higher level on Friday, Xi said Beijing attached great importance to relations between China and the EU.

“China-EU relations should demonstrate due maturity and stability,” Xi was quoted by state news agency Xinhua as saying.