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China's border reopening

China's border reopening
Latest news and updates about how China is racing to vaccinate the public and reach herd immunity to enable the country to reopen its borders as part of its economic recovery from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
A police officer helps an American tourist fill out an entry registration card at an airport in Beijing. China’s visa-free entry policies have sparked a surge in overseas tourism over the past two years. Photo: Xinhua
China travel

Explainer | By land, sea or air: 5 ways to enter China without a visa

From 24 hours to 30 days, visiting China is getting easier for many tourists – how long will your passport let you stay?

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China travel

Opinion | As the US turns belligerent, China has a soft power opening

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China-Middle East relations

China offers visa-free travel to 4 Gulf countries following landmark meeting

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Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Hongkonger’s worsening eczema, food allergies fuel her doubts over Covid jabs

Experts say there must be better health communication and efforts to raise awareness in a future pandemic.

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Eunice To has more than 40 types of food allergies which she believes were triggered by the Covid-19 jabs she received. Photo: Edmond So
China's economic recovery

China’s aviation sector in clear skies of profit after 4 turbulent years

Civil aviation in China returned to profitability in 2024, the industry’s first positive return after four years of pandemic-induced losses.

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China's economic recovery

Inbound travel to China set to surge in Lunar New Year amid visa-free expansion

International travel bookings to China have already doubled the previous year’s figure, spurred by additions to the visa exemption list.

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China-EU relations

China’s visa-entry scheme leaves EU trio out in the cold. Why?

Sweden, Lithuania and the Czech Republic have not been granted visa-free access by Beijing, with analysts citing Taiwan among likely factors.

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Taiwanese and Lithuanian flags are displayed at the island’s representative office in Vilnius, a source of Beijing’s tensions with Lithuania. Photo: Reuters
China economy

My Take | China’s extended visa-free tourist stays drive momentum for opening

Its latest foreign-visitor policy shows that China is willing to be pragmatic, rather than adhering strictly to ideologies.

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Hong Kong property

Chinachem’s Nina Hospitality aims to move up market, eyes overseas expansion

Nina’s managing director said it is looking at expanding on the mainland and overseas, while becoming an upscale hotel group in Hong Kong.

China travel

Opinion | How China can make life better for foreign and domestic tourists alike

Refining entry policies, mobile payment systems and rail travel can help make the mainland an easier and more welcoming travel destination.

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Foreign tourists walk near the Forbidden City in Beijing on August 13. According to the National Immigration Administration, the country recorded about 14.6 million entries by foreign tourists in the first half of 2024, an increase of more than 150 per cent year on year. Photo: EPA-EFE
Tourism

China’s relaxed visa rules pay off as more overseas travellers arrive

The increase in foreign visitors boosts spending by an estimated US$14 billion, immigration authorities say.

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China reported a doubling in the number of foreigners arriving in the country in the first seven months of the year. Photo: Xinhua
China's economic recovery

China looks for new ways to boost services spending, from senior care to tourism

Facing subdued external demand, Beijing banks on services sector with support for childcare, visa-free travel and ‘low-altitude aviation’.

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China's economic recovery

Explainer | How easily can foreigners travel to China and spend money?

China welcomed 14.64 million international visitors in the first half of 2024, representing a 153 per cent increase from the same period last year.

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China economy

Opinion | China’s tourism policy must now go beyond visa-free travel

China must make it easier for foreigners to experience the country and citizens to travel abroad if it wants to reconnect with the world.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Hong Kong economy

First Hongkongers with foreign passports receive 5-year permits to visit mainland

Senior business figures among the permanent residents picking up new travel permits, with some planning trips as early as next week.

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Alfred Buchner, a former committee member of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong and Macau, collects his permit with his wife and daughter. Photo: Sam Tsang
Chinese culture

Taylor Swift is ‘walking GDP’: Shanghai urged to shake off curbs on foreign stars

Shanghai is missing out on cashing in on smash-hit international performances, government advisers in the Chinese financial hub have warned.

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Hong Kong tourism

Hongkongers snap up tour bookings ahead of Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link opening

Road link to open on Sunday, as Hong Kong tourism sector eyes opportunities of shorter trips across Pearl River Delta.

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Hong Kong property

Mainland retailers struggle to survive Hong Kong’s sky-high rents, competition

A tide of mainland Chinese retail brands expanding in Hong Kong appears to have ebbed, with several food and beverage chains ending their tenancies as their businesses come under pressure

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People pass by a closed shop in Mong Kok The city’s famously high property rents are a constant threat to the survival of retailers. Photo: SCMP Pictures
Chinese tourists

Beijing scraps reservation system for most tourist sites in time for summer

Visitors will still need to book ahead for the Forbidden City and National Museum.

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Hong Kong economy

Beauty chain Sa Sa’s profit soars as mainlanders return to shop in Hong Kong

Hong Kong beauty products retailer Sa Sa International saw its profit jump almost fourfold in the last financial year as the number of mainland Chinese tourists returning to shop in the city continued to rise.

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Taiwan

Xiamen forum reveals state of tourism between mainland China and Taiwan

Straits Forum shows up Taiwanese concerns and the limitations of Beijing’s new policy.

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Tourists look at the mainland Chinese city Xiamen, from Taipei-governed Quemoy Island. Photo: AFP
China's economic recovery

Shanghai stay or Shanghai go? Foreigners return but aren’t settling like before

A loosening of visa restrictions is finally luring back tourists to mainland China’s most international city, so why are they not staying to work like they used to?

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Illustration: Brian Wang
China's economic recovery

The FOMO is real for China’s eager emigrants who see a move as now or never

Middle-class Chinese with the means to move abroad see a rapidly closing window of opportunity as developed countries tighten immigration policies, and the race is on as applicant interest surges.

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Hong Kong tourism

Hong Kong’s Cathay urged to launch direct flights to 8 new travel scheme cities

Tommy Tam of the Society of IATA Passenger Agents says Cathay has ‘unshirkable responsibility’ to provide more direct flights to 8 new locations.

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Tourism

Barrier to entry at China’s museums may translate to tourism losses

Visitors who cannot pre-book through Chinese apps – requiring a WeChat account and ability to read Chinese – are locked out of many attractions. These obstacles may affect China’s soft power abroad as well as tourism, say analysts.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
China's economic recovery

China’s medical testing sector downsizes as pandemic peak dissipates

With the end of pandemic control measures severely reducing the demand for medical testing services, China’s laboratories are facing massive declines in revenue and laying off large portions of their staff.

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China’s medical diagnostics industry is determining its next steps after a pandemic-induced boom has evaporated. Photo: AP
China travel

China allows visa-free entries for 15 days at all cruise ports to lure tourists

The visa-policy easing is expected to boost tourism that has yet to fully rebound since the pandemic, and the move could also give local economies a jolt.

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China’s Communist Party

Health chief Ma Xiaowei steps down after steering China through Covid

Ma mobilised thousands of medical staff to help during major outbreaks while arguing in favour of stringent testing, quarantines and lockdowns.

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