118 thousand trips since visa free travel for 6 countries

Approximately 118,000 trips were made by people from six countries under the visa-free policy that started on Dec 1, National Immigration Administration said on Monday.

China announced a unilateral visa-free policy for ordinary passport holders from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia on a trial basis, starting on Dec 1. In the past month, this group of people has comprised 55.1 percent of the total inbound travelers from these six countries.

Since the policy's initiation, a total of 214,000 trips were made by people from these six countries, a substantial 28.5 percent increase compared with November.

About 77.3 percent of those arriving with ordinary passports under the visa exemption engaged in tourism, leisure, and business activities.

An official from the NIA said that border control agencies nationwide have been instructed to deploy ample law enforcement personnel and open sufficient inspection channels at all entry points, ensuring efficient and smooth inbound document checking.

The administration has also provided guidance to public security authorities and entry-exit management departments nationwide to offer convenient residence arrangements for those entering under the visa-free policy.

According to the NIA, future efforts will focus on optimizing entry-exit management policies and collaborating with relevant departments to further facilitate the entry of foreigners for business, study, tourism, work, and daily life.