File PhotoChina said Wednesday it has simplified its visa application process as it looks to attract more visitors from overseas. “Applicants will spend much less time filling in the forms and expect a more streamlined visa application process,” it said in a statement. The ministry will always “facilitate people-to-people exchanges between China and foreign countries to promote China’s high-quality development and opening up.”At a briefing in Beijing, foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning reiterated that the new application forms that went online Wednesday “will greatly shorten the time and ease the application process.”The often drawn-out visa process has been a hurdle for many people wanting to travel to China. While domestic tourism has rebounded above pre-Covid levels, international travel to and from the country is still well below. For foreign visitors wanting to get a visa to China, “what we would say to the Chinese government is they’ve already simplified it, but keep making it simpler, simpler, simpler,” she added.

Source: The Standard September 21, 2023 04:03 UTC