Adding Portugal to the list that already includes 16 European countries, China has announced that it will extend the visa-free policy for Portuguese citizens for a stay of up to 15 days.
The expansion, confirmed in a statement by the Chinese Foreign Ministry, comes as Beijing has in recent weeks added Norway, Slovenia, Greece, Denmark and Cyprus to its list of countries where citizens can stay in Asia. Country for tourism, business or transit for 15 days, visa free.
The measure will come into force from October 15 and will remain in force till December 31, 2025.
Beijing’s efforts to stimulate international tourism and foreign investment have been crippled by the Covid-19 pandemic, during which China closed its borders almost entirely.
Last November, the Asian country announced that nationals of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain would benefit from a unilateral visa waiver. In March, it extended the policy of up to 15 days of stay to six European countries: Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium and Luxembourg.
In recent months, the Asian country has taken several measures to help international travelers.
Digital wallets such as WeChat Pay and Alipay, which have become ubiquitous in China, where physical money has practically disappeared, have begun to make their payment methods available to foreign users visiting the country, who sometimes find it difficult to use certain services.
Foreigners visiting China more than doubled to 14.64 million in the first half of 2024, equivalent to a 152.7% increase compared to the same period in 2023.
Data from the Asian country’s national immigration administration showed that visa-free entries exceeded 8.5 million, representing 58% of trips and a 190% increase from the previous year.
However, while about 15 million people visit China annually, the number of foreigners remains lower than pre-pandemic records.