Foreign tourists enjoy themselves at Tiantan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site built in 1420, in Beijing. Photo: VCG

 
China welcomed about 214,000 inbound travelers from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia in December 2023, up 28.5 percent compared with November 2023, after a new visa-free policy for these countries came into effect on December 1, according to China's National Immigration Administration (NIA) on Monday.

NIA statistics show that more than 55 percent of the inbound travelers were from the six countries and entered China through visa-free channels. More than 77 percent of the 214,000 ordinary passport holders visited the country for sightseeing, leisure or business activities.

The NIA said it required border ports nationwide to prepare sufficient immigration officials and entry channels to ensure quick processing for foreign visitors. The exit-entry management departments in Chinese cities were also asked to provide services to assist with the convenient stay of visa-free individuals.

The administration vowed to further facilitate inbound travelers to promote high-standard opening-up as flagged at the Central Economic Work Conference held in mid-December.

From December 1, 2023 to November 30, 2024, holders of ordinary passports from the above-listed six countries may enter China for no more than 15 days in a move to better facilitate cross-border people-to-people exchanges between China and foreign countries, and to serve the country's high-quality development and opening-up, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.