China will allow British and Canadian citizens to enter without a visa starting Tuesday, expanding a program aimed at boosting tourism and business, the Associated Press reported. The move raises the number of countries whose citizens can travel visa-free to 79, as Beijing has widened eligibility over the past two years.
AP said the visa-free access covers visits for business and tourism as well as for exchange programs and for visiting family and friends. For those eligible, the stay can be up to 30 days under the program’s rules.
The AP report said most Europeans meet the requirements for visa-free entry, and it also said that some citizens from selected countries in other regions—including parts of Latin America, Southeast Asia and the Middle East—are eligible. For citizens of a few additional countries, the AP reported a shorter, transit-based option: entry without a visa for 10 days if they are traveling through China with an onward ticket to a different country than where they arrived.
According to the AP, business executives and tourists welcomed the change, citing that applying for a Chinese visa can be relatively cumbersome. For many travelers, the simplified entry process reduces the time and paperwork needed before travel.
The AP also tied the expansion to recent diplomatic outreach, saying the UK and Canada joined the program after visits to China last month by their prime ministers, Keir Starmer and Mark Carney. The report described both leaders as relatively new and said the trips were intended to renew links with Beijing following years of deterioration.
For most countries, AP said the visa-free access expires at the end of the year, though it has been extended in the past.