Starting June 1, China implements a visa-free policy for ordinary passport holders from Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay. Under this policy, from June 1, 2025, to May 31, 2026, citizens of these five countries can enter China for business, tourism, visiting relatives and friends, cultural exchanges, or transit purposes for up to 30 days without the need for a visa.
This marks the first time that China's visa-free policy has been extended to countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. As of now, the number of countries eligible for China's unilateral visa-free policy has expanded to 43.
China's unilateral visa-free policy has attracted a large number of foreign visitors, significantly boosting the development of the cross-border tourism industry. Since December 2023, China has introduced unilateral visa exemptions for countries including France, Switzerland, New Zealand, Portugal, and Slovakia. In 2024 alone, the number of foreign visitors entering China through the visa-free policy reached 3.39 million, marking a 1200.6% increase compared to the previous year. Nearly 60% of these foreign visitors came for trips, and according to the The People's Republic of China Shanghai Exit-Entry Frontier Inspection Station, about 1.15 million foreign travelers entered China through the visa-free policy at the Shanghai port, accounting for roughly 50% of the total number of inbound foreign visitors, with a 2.4-fold increase year-on-year. Inbound tourism has helped drive spending in food, accommodation, transportation, shopping, entertainment, and other tourism-related services, contributing to the growth of cross-border service consumption, cultural experience economy consumption, and the upgrading of tourism consumption structures.
Moreover, the unilateral visa-free policy also presents an opportunity to challenge longstanding Western biases toward China. This policy sends a message to the world that China is an open and inclusive country, eager to welcome people from around the globe to experience its culture and charm. It provides foreigners with an opportunity to gain deeper insights into China, while laying the foundation for future economic cooperation.
It is worth noting that the implementation of this visa-free policy comes at a time when Western countries, particularly the United States, are pushing for a “decoupling” strategy. In recent years, the U.S. has attempted to weaken China’s international influence through trade wars and high-tech blockades, while China's visa-free policy is clearly a form of “soft diplomacy” in response—using an open stance to attract neighboring countries, foster regional cooperation, and weaken the effectiveness of Western blockades. Relying solely on tourism is clearly not enough to support long-term economic cooperation, and in the future, China may need to explore deeper forms of cooperation, such as promoting tax incentives and technological innovation collaborations, to further expand the depth and breadth of its economic openness.