From Friday, citizens of nine more countries can enter China without needing a visa to visit.
Holders of ordinary passports from eight countries in Europe — Slovakia, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Andorra, Monaco and Liechtenstein — as well as South Korea can visit for business or leisure purposes for up to 15 days without needing a visa.
The visa exemption is set to remain in effect until Dec. 31, 2025.
South Korea is a major tourism source market for China. In 2019, some 4.3 million South Koreans visited China, according to The Korea Times. Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported less than 1.3 million visited in 2023.
Share prices of prominent Chinese and Korean travel companies rose following Beijing’s announcement of the expanded visa-free program on Friday.
Trip.com shares have risen more than 5%, while low-cost carrier Jin Air rose nearly 4%.
China extends visa-free policy to 9 more countries – including South Korea
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