Groups of foreign tourists walk outside Beijing's Palace Museum on July 9, 2024. In the first half of the year, 14.635 million foreigners entered the country through various ports, an increase of 152.7 percent year-on-year, data from the National Immigration Administration showed. Among them, 8.542 million entered the country under visa-free policies. Photo: cnsphoto

China announced on Monday the extension of the visa-free policy for Australian passport holders to China from the original 15 days to 30 days, a move that a Chinese expert said is another reflection of the active role China has played in promoting mutual understanding and people-to-people exchanges between the two sides.

According to the notice released by the Chinese Embassy in Australia on Monday, from November 30, 2024, to December 31, 2025 (Beijing time), citizens holding ordinary passports of Australia traveling to China for business, tourism, family visit, transit, and exchange purposes and with the duration of each single stay not exceeding 30 days, are eligible for visa-free entry policy.

Short-term visa applications accepted before November 30 at midnight will still follow the current regulations, according to the notice.

"People-to-people interactions form an important cornerstone of the bilateral relationship... The expansion of the visa exemption policy is important in further advancing the improvement of bilateral relations, taking a pragmatic approach to fostering cooperation," Chen Hong, director of the Australian Studies Center at East China Normal University, told the Global Times on Monday.

Since Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese took office, bilateral relations have improved and are steadily moving in a positive direction with the joint efforts of both sides, Chen said, noting that this policy expansion also reflects the active role China has played in further promoting mutual understanding.

The exchanges between China and Australia are close, with economic and trade ties a highlight in bilateral relations. Starting in 2009, China has been Australia's largest trading partner for 15 consecutive years, according to the Chinese Embassy in Australia. China is both Australia's largest export destination and its largest source of imports, the embassy said.

The extension of the free-visa policy comes in response to Australia's strong desire to strengthen economic and trade cooperation with China, Chen added.

When the visa exemption policy was first announced in June, it was warmly welcomed by Australian business circles, driven by the growing demand from Australian businesses for the Chinese market.

Commenting on the visa-free policy, Vaughn Barber, AustCham China chair, told the Global Times in a previous interview that AustCham sees these new visa policies as a positive development that will enhance bilateral relations through people-to-people exchanges and greatly facilitate business exchanges and collaboration between our two nations.

China has expanded its visa-free policy even wider. In addition to Australia, starting from November 30, 2024, ordinary passport holders from 37 countries including Croatia and Japan are exempt from visas to enter China for stays of no more than 30 days for business, tourism, family visits, exchange and transit purposes, according to China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday. 

So far, China's unilateral free-visa policy has been extended to 38 countries.

"This latest move demonstrates China's firm commitment to continuing its opening-up, while also reaffirming its sincerity and willingness to further improve China-Australia relations," Chen noted.