Canadians are now able to enter China without a travel visa, a change in policy that follows a thawing of an icy relationship between the two nations.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said in January that during his meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, he received a commitment that China would allow visa-free access to Canadian passport holders. Earlier this week, China’s foreign ministry confirmed the update.
Canadians with valid passports “can be exempted from visa to enter China and stay for up to 30 days for business, tourism, family/friends visit, exchange and transit purposes,” the statement read.
The visa-waiver policy, which officially kicked in Tuesday, will be in effect until Dec. 31.
Previous visa requirements for Canadian tourists to visit mainland China cost roughly $140, with some in the travel industry describing the application process as “long and troublesome.”
The Chinese regions of Hong Kong, Macau and Hainan province don’t require a visa for Canadians to visit.
With these new changes in place for Canadian travellers, how likely are you to visit China? Are you more likely to travel now that you don’t need a visa? Are there sites and landmarks you’ve always wanted to see? If you have family in China, does this affect whether you would visit? Are you a business leader looking to expand into the East Asian country? If you said no to any of these questions, how come?
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With files from the Canadian Press
