China to Allow Visa-Free Entry for Citizens of 5 EU Countries
The Chinese government announced that starting from December 1st, citizens of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Malaysia will be able to travel to China visa-free for a year. This was reported by Politico.
"China has decided to unilaterally apply a visa-free policy to more countries on a trial basis, expanding the visa waiver for travelers holding ordinary passports from six countries, namely France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Malaysia," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning.
She added that citizens of these countries can stay for no more than 15 days for business, tourism, family visits, and transit.
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, currently in Beijing, welcomed this announcement, stating on X (former Twitter): "Great news shared during my visit by my colleague Wang Yi!"
Patricia Flor, the German ambassador to Beijing, stated that this decision would significantly ease the trip to China for many German citizens. "We hope that the Chinese government will implement the measures announced today for all EU member states. This would be an important improvement in the mobility of our citizens, contributing to the deepening of personal, cultural, and economic relations between China and the EU," she wrote on X.
As reported by The Gaze, on November 16th, US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping discussed Russia's war against Ukraine and the conflict in Gaza during direct talks in the US.
The official White House website noted that during the meeting with Xi, Biden emphasized that the US, along with its allies, will continue to support and defend Ukraine against Russian aggressors to "ensure Ukraine's exit from this war as a democratic, independent, sovereign, and thriving nation capable of deterring and defending against future aggression."
Additionally, according to the White House, human rights violations and the Taiwan issue were also raised during the meeting.
At the same time, the leaders of the US and China agreed to restore military communication between the two countries and consolidate efforts to limit the production of fentanyl, a synthetic drug that causes thousands of American deaths annually.
The conversation lasted for over four hours and marked the first meeting between the two leaders since the G20 summit in Indonesia held in November last year. This visit by Xi was his first to the US since 2017.