China will temporarily exempt citizens of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia from needing visas to visit the world's second-largest economy in a bid to give a boost to post-pandemic tourism.
  • DieguiTux8623@feddit.itEnglish
    13·
    11 months ago

    While there’s a new pandemic spreading in their territory, what a fortunate move! Let’s have foreign visitors pick it up and bring pathogens back to their homeland! Wait, hasn’t it already happened?

    • Burn_The_Right@lemmy.worldEnglish
      131·
      11 months ago

      Who said anything about leaving China? Why would you want to leave beautiful China? Allow us to give you a wonderful tour of our amazing factories. You will love it. You will love it forever.

  • Moonrise2473@feddit.itEnglish
    81·
    11 months ago

    wtf i just got a super expensive multiple entry visa and now they cancel the policy

      • ShittyBeatlesFCPres@lemmy.worldEnglish
        15·
        11 months ago

        When you get a visa to travel, some countries make it easy and some require fees and a whole waiting period. Like, speaking as an American, going to a lot of places doesn’t require a visa. A lot of places do require one but it’s basically automatic and they just charge a fee — some places even just charge a fee when you enter. China has a more restrictive process where you have to visit a consulate or mail in your passport.

        Tourist visas are more expensive the more entries you need or the longer in duration. So, if you’re going to China with a side trip to Mongolia, you’d want a multi-entry Chinese visa. For some countries, China does offer a 10 year multi-entry visa option — so basically the rest of the time you have your passport — so an American who regularly visits grandparents in China can do that. But it’s obviously more expensive than a standard tourist visa.

        The fees also vary by nationality and it’s usually reciprocal. So, Americans tend to have to pay more because the U.S. charges more. That just depends on what your diplomats negotiate.

  • ShroOmeric@lemmy.worldEnglish
    62·
    11 months ago

    Yeah fuck no, how was that story about the gutter oil they use in the restaurant? Check it out and thank me later.

  • AutoTL;DR@lemmings.worldBEnglish
    2·
    11 months ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:

    BEIJING, Nov 24 (Reuters) - China will temporarily exempt citizens of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia from needing visas to visit the world’s second-largest economy in a bid to give a boost to post-pandemic tourism.

    From Dec. 1 to Nov. 30 next year, citizens of those countries entering China for business, tourism, visiting relatives and friends, or transiting for no more than 15 days, will not need a visa, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Friday.

    China has been taking steps in recent months - including restoring international flight routes - to revive its tourism sector following three years of strict COVID-19 measures that largely shut its borders to the outside world.

    The head of foreign trade at the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) hailed the announcement of a temporary visa exemption as “an important signal that can boost both tourism and economic exchange”.

    “Above all, the regulation facilitates the maintenance of German machines, the assurance of quality ‘Made in Germany’, entrepreneurial exchange and the cultivation of interpersonal contacts,” Volker Treier said in an interview with Reuters.

    French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, who is in Beijing, wrote on X: “An excellent new announcement on the occasion of my visit from my counterpart Wang Yi!”

    The original article contains 481 words, the summary contains 209 words. Saved 57%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!