China Announces Visa-Free Entry for 50 Countries
The Chinese National Immigration Administration, in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has released an updated list of nations covered under its expanding unilateral visa exemption policies. The measure allows qualifying passport holders to enter mainland China without a visa for short-term stays, part of a broader ongoing push by Beijing to revitalize international tourism and ease global business travel.
Under the current guidelines, citizens from 50 designated countries spanning Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Oceania can travel to China seamlessly, provided they hold ordinary passports. Eligible travelers are permitted to stay in China for a maximum of 30 days for business, tourism, family visits, exchange visits, or direct transit.
Key Details of the Visa-Free Policy
The immigration administration explicitly notes that the stay duration is calculated starting from 00:00 (midnight) on the day following the date of entry. The policy includes 35 European nations alongside select countries from Asia, the Americas, and Oceania.
The full list of countries whose citizens are eligible for the unilateral visa-free entry includes: Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Oman, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Uruguay, and Republic of Korea.
China Sentences Former Senior Official to Death in Corruption Case
In a separate development, Chinese authorities have sentenced a former senior government official to death after convicting him of accepting more than 2.2 billion yuan, equivalent to about 325 million dollars, in bribes over three decades. Yang Youlin, 69, was found guilty by a court in Changzhou, eastern China, following a lengthy corruption investigation linked to President Xi Jinping's ongoing anti-corruption campaign.
Prosecutors said Yang abused several public offices he held in Nanjing between 1993 and 2023 to obtain unlawful financial benefits. According to the court, Yang accepted money and valuable gifts in exchange for helping individuals and companies secure engineering projects, land transactions, and financing approvals. He was also convicted of embezzlement, abuse of power, and money laundering. The court ruled that his actions caused severe financial losses to the state and seriously undermined public interest. Judges described the offences as exceptionally serious and said the scale of the corruption justified the death sentence.
South Korean President Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison
Earlier, a South Korean court sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison over charges linked to a military drone operation allegedly carried out before his failed martial law declaration in December 2024. The ruling was delivered on Friday, June 12, by the Seoul Central District Court, which found the former leader guilty of abuse of power and aiding the enemy.
