Now Shenzhen | March 18, 2024
A national political adviser has suggested the introduction of a new visa type aimed at encouraging more young people worldwide to participate in cultural and educational exchanges during their gap years, fostering deep integration into the host country.
Liu Aiping, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, envisions this new visa allowing young individuals to engage in part-time employment to cover expenses during their year-long exploration of China.
“The new visa would be the kind that enables foreigners to get paid while holding a short-term visitor visa or student visa,” said Liu.
To achieve this, Liu recommends collaboration between key departments such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Immigration Administration, and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. Leveraging the existing X1 visa for long-term students and the Z visa for employment, the proposal aims to introduce working holiday visas for a more comprehensive engagement of foreign youth in China.
China also vows to facilitate inbound tourism and provide more convenient services to foreign tourists in all aspects of their travel experience, including payment channels. Sun Yeli, Minister of China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, expressed this commitment during an interview after the closing meeting of the second session of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Monday. He concluded the interview with a warm welcome to tourists worldwide, saying “Welcome to China” in English.
In response to the ministry’s enhanced ideas and optimized measures in addressing the payment challenges faced by overseas tourists in China, where mobile payment is widely adopted and rapidly gaining popularity due to the country’s rapid development in informatization and digitalization, Sun said the issue of payment difficulties for inbound tourists is indeed an unexpected new problem.
According to Sun, the authority has comprehensively reviewed the entire process for foreigners’ inbound travel in terms of convenience, optimizing each step from visa application and flights to hotel check-ins, shopping and traveling, systematically addressing any issue at each step and resolving any problem that may arise.
“We also sincerely welcome tourists from all over the world to visit China, explore the unique and enchanting cultural charm of ancient China, understand and discover the miracles created by the rapid and constant development of modern China, and experience the warm and friendly hospitality of the Chinese people as a nation known for its etiquette,” Sun said. He concluded the interview by saying, “Welcome to China” in English.
Source: Expat Focus