With the Covid-19 pandemic largely contained, China’s foreign ministry announced on Tuesday that the country will resume issuing a wide range of visas to foreigners beginning on Wednesday.
Beijing’s decision to exit the strict zero-Covid strategy that defined its pandemic response until recently is the latest step in the country’s reopening to the outside world.
The announcement detailed a number of changes, including visas issued prior to March 28, 2020 would once again be valid, and the elimination of visa requirements for those entering the mainland from Hong Kong.
The statement also stated that China will restart visa-waiver programs that allow citizens of the United States and other major countries to visit cities like Beijing for a few days. It was not obvious how exactly this would be put into effect.
