China lifts sweeping visa curbs on foreigners

BEIJING: China will once again start issuing a range of visas to foreigners as of Wednesday, the country´s foreign ministry said, in a major easing of travel restrictions in place since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The move marks the latest step towards reopening China to the outside world, as Beijing breaks with the strict zero-Covid strategy that defined its pandemic response until a few months ago.

In addition to new visas being reviewed and approved, those issued before March 28, 2020 that remain valid will once again allow entry to China, said a notice posted on Tuesday on a social media account affiliated with the foreign ministry´s consular affairs bureau.