China lowers visa issuance costs for foreigners visiting the country. This measure follows the recent announcement of visa exemption measures for some countries, and is interpreted as an intention to drive economic growth by attracting inbound tourists at a time when the number of foreigners visiting China has decreased due to COVID-19.
According to the Chinese Embassy in Korea on the 8th, China plans to lower Chinese visa fees from the 11th to December 31st of next year. The Chinese Embassy in Korea explained that this measure was taken to facilitate convenient human traffic between China and foreign countries.
Accordingly, the cost of issuing a single-entry visa for Koreans to visit China will be reduced by half from 55,000 won to 26,000 won. The cost of issuing a double visa was reduced from 73,000 won to 40,000 won, and the cost of issuing a multiple visa (1 year) was reduced from 120,000 won to 75,000 won.
Last October, the Chinese Embassy in Korea simplified the visa application process and eliminated the online reservation system.
Countries that have lowered visa issuance costs include the United States, Canada, Albania, Argentina, and Brazil.
Previously, China recently unilaterally announced a 15-day visa exemption for six countries, including France, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, and Malaysia.
Xie Tianhang, deputy director of Zhejiang University’s Regional Development Research Center, said, “This is the first time that China has announced unilateral visa exemption measures for Western countries, demonstrating China’s will to promote economic, political and cultural exchanges between countries and open up to the outside world. “It shows,” he diagnosed.
Additionally, the official Chinese Railway application recently made it possible to make rail reservations with a foreign passport. Until now, in order for foreigners to reserve railway tickets through the official app, a mobile phone number in China was required.
This measure appears to be aimed at revitalizing the stagnant economy by attracting foreign tourists and promoting consumption in the so-called service industry, such as the tourism industry. In fact, the number of foreign tourists attracted by Chinese travel agencies in the first half of this year was 477,800, which was only 5.6% of the same period in 2019 before COVID-19.
In relation to this, Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a recent regular briefing, “China is working to expand exchanges with foreign countries and provide more convenience for foreigners to travel, work, study, etc. in China.” “China’s opening will become increasingly bigger,” he said.
(Beijing = News 1)
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.