According to Lusa, the extension of the visa exemption policy to Portugal was announced by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, following Norway, Slovenia, Greece, Denmark and Cyprus, which have also started to waive visa requirements for stays of up to 15 days in China.

The visa exemption applies to citizens travelling to China for tourism, business or transit purposes, and will be in force until 31 December 2025, with Lusa explaining that China intends, with this measure, to stimulate international tourism and foreign investment, which have been paralysed since the COVID-19 pandemic, during which China imposed an almost total closure of its borders.

In November last year, the Chinese authorities had already announced that nationals of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain would benefit from a unilateral visa exemption, in a list that was expanded in March of this year with the addition of countries such as Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium and Luxembourg.

In the first half of 2024, China received 14.64 million foreign tourists, a figure that represented an increase of 152.7% compared to the same period in 2023.

The data also shows that visa-free entries into the country exceeded 8.5 million, representing 58% of trips and an increase of 190% compared to the previous year.

However, the number of foreigners remains below pre-pandemic records, when China was visited by around 15 million people per year.