China has announced that it will resume issuing regular visas and passports, marking yet another significant departure from the anti-virus constraints that kept the nation closed for nearly three years. This could result in a massive influx of Chinese citizens travelling abroad for the Lunar New Year holiday next month.
The move on Tuesday comes as President Xi Jinping’s administration strives to reverse an economic downturn by making more drastic reforms that are pulling back some of the tightest anti-virus restrictions in the world. China’s infection rate was kept low by regulations that kept millions of people inside their homes, but they also fostered popular unrest and stunted the country’s economic development.
In response to the most recent decision, free-spending Chinese visitors may flock to economically struggling regions of Asia and Europe for the Lunar New Year, which starts on January 22.
When the COVID-19 pandemic first broke out in early 2020, China ceased providing passports and visas to outsiders.
As per National Immigration Administration of China, passport applications for Chinese tourists travelling overseas will begin to be accepted on January 8. It said that it will continue granting permission for travellers and entrepreneurs to go to Hong Kong, a region of China with independent border controls.
According to the organisation, it will accept applications for standard visas and residence permits. There was no mention of when full-scale international tourist travel may be permitted; it was just said that the administration will “gradually restart” permitting foreign tourists.
(With inputs from agencies)
