Beijing authorities announced further relaxation of transit visa exemption policies targeting Western tourists, but amidst a xenophobic and exclusionary atmosphere, Westerners find it difficult to feel at ease.
On December 17, the Chinese Immigration Bureau issued a notice extending the stay of visa-exempt foreigners in China from the original 72 hours (3 days) and 144 hours (6 days) to 240 hours (10 days), applicable to citizens of 54 countries.
Under the new 240-hour transit policy, the number of visa-exempt ports has increased from 39 to 60, allowing qualifying foreigners to travel among 24 provinces, up from the previous 19. However, special regions like Tibet and Xinjiang require additional permits for entry.
According to economist Davy J. Wong, the extension of the transit visa exemption policy for foreigners is primarily aimed at promoting economic recovery and attracting consumer spending. With China’s economy facing severe slowdown post-pandemic, particularly impacting the tourism, hotel, and airline industries, the extension aims to attract more transit tourists to spend in China, stimulating domestic demand and service markets as China alone cannot accomplish the mission.
The revised transit visa exemption policy includes citizens from 54 qualifying countries, encompassing almost all developed countries in Europe and America, including the Schengen Area of 25 countries, 15 other European countries, six American countries (United States, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile), two Oceanian countries (Australia and New Zealand), and six Asian countries (South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Brunei, UAE, Qatar).
However, the new transit visa exemption policy does not apply to most developing countries in the South, despite Beijing’s claim of always being a part of the global South and forever belonging to developing countries.
The purpose of selecting Western countries, according to Wong, is primarily for economic reasons as Western tourists generally have higher spending power, making a significant contribution to the tourism industry. Secondly, it is about international influence, attempting to offset criticism of China (CCP) by Western countries with more human rights, political, and economic scrutiny through tourists serving as so-called civilian ambassadors.
This might just be wishful thinking on Beijing’s part.
Currently, Beijing has achieved comprehensive mutual visa exemptions with 25 countries, implemented unilateral visa exemptions with 38 countries, and implemented transit visa exemption policies with 54 countries.
Beijing authorities have also simplified the visa application process and introduced a series of measures to help foreigners resolve issues related to using cash and mobile payments in China.
Despite these efforts, the number of foreign tourists entering China this year has yet to recover to 2019 levels. China has fallen out of the top 10 countries in terms of international tourist arrivals, even lagging behind Japan.
Recent social media commentary suggests that “since 2019, others have been striving upward, but this side is accelerating downward,” “an era has passed,” and “gradually becoming incompatible with the world.”
In recent years, driven by the political winds in China, there has been a pervasive anti-Western sentiment in Chinese society. Under various laws targeting the West like so-called security laws and spy laws, Western companies face national security searches and Westerners are often suspected as spies and attacked.
This year alone, there have been incidents of Americans and Japanese being fatally stabbed; videos have circulated on social media showing foreign journalists and tourists being harassed and chased.
Many Western countries have warned their citizens to reconsider traveling to mainland China due to arbitrary enforcement of Chinese laws and the risk of wrongful detention.
According to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center on July 9th, among respondents in 35 countries, more held negative views of China (CCP) than positive views.
Additionally, some English signage in mainland China has been removed, and the CCP’s Great Firewall isolates Westerners upon entry into China, creating an information island.
A recent video circulating on social media shows a Taiwanese girl on a business trip to China unable to access websites like YouTube, Line, Gmail, Notion, Vocus, Thread, and Netflix, leading her to question whether it was a sign to meditate.
Since the pandemic, Westerners have expedited their departure from mainland China.
A report by the Beijing International Talent Exchange Association at the end of October revealed a 40% decrease in the foreign population living and working long-term in Beijing over ten years, dropping from 37,000 to just 22,000 people.
The report also noted a shift in the source of foreign residents in Beijing post-pandemic. The proportion of Europeans and Americans in the foreign population decreased from 16% in 2019 to 12%, while the percentage of Africans increased from 26% to 31%.
The situation in Shanghai is even more alarming, with a sharp decline in the number of foreign residents. According to a think tank in Shanghai, the number of foreign residents has plummeted by 64% in just five years, from over 200,000 in 2018 to 72,000 in 2023.
A video by a Shanghai YouTuber earlier this year showed that Shanghai’s most well-known expat area, the Shanghai Tennis Club Apartments, which used to comprise 95% Europeans and Americans in 2010, now has more residents from so-called BRICS countries like Mexico and Brazil.
While Beijing is easing transit visa restrictions for foreigners, they are simultaneously imposing various barriers domestically such as promoting nationalism, xenophobia, the Great Firewall, and payment methods. What consequences will this contradictory policy bring?
Wong emphasizes that the prohibition and restrictions on Western payment methods and banking systems make Western foreigners travel in China like walking on thin ice—extremely inconvenient and unsafe. The unfriendliness of the culture, decreasing English signs, along with the escalating nationalist sentiment, undisciplined attacks on foreigners, all go unaddressed. These factors combined create immense psychological pressure and insecurity for Western tourists and expatriates, fueling their aversion.
In terms of overall impact and evaluation, even if the transit visa exemption policy were extended to six months instead of ten days, many foreign nationals, especially Westerners, would still feel a lack of security and prefer choosing other safer destinations.
Wong believes that Beijing knows they should improve internet freedom, end the Great Firewall, but they won’t change; they could internationalize payment methods, but they won’t do it for fear of capital flight; they could reduce the nationalism, respect cultural diversity, and Western liberalism, but they won’t because it would reveal that China (CCP) does not have a superior system.
He stresses that they know what to change but won’t do it, merely resorting to extending transit visa days as a temporary fix. Not only is the effectiveness limited, but these conflicting policies make them appear somewhat mentally abnormal, twisted, and deranged, weakening their international image and raising more concerns among people.
Looking at the current scenario, the decrease in Western visitors and researchers coming from developed countries to China could significantly undermine Beijing’s international influence.
“The increase in visitors from Asia, Africa, and other regions may not offset the losses in terms of economy and culture compared to Western countries. Generally, more professionals come from developed countries, so the adverse impact on areas like technology, finance, and cultural exchange is prominent. There’s a visible reduction in high-level cultural and academic exchanges, leading to a decline in overall city image and civilization,” Wong concluded.