BEIJING/JAKARTA, June 12 (Xinhua) -- China has added Indonesia to its 240-hour visa-free transit program, bringing the total number of eligible countries to 55, immigration authorities announced on Thursday.
Effective Thursday, Indonesian travelers who meet the stipulated criteria can enter through any of 60 ports across 24 provincial-level regions and stay in China for up to 240 hours, or 10 days, without a visa before heading to a third destination, according to the National Immigration Administration (NIA).
During the visa-free transit period, travelers are permitted to engage in tourism, business, exchange visits and family visits. However, the policy does not cover employment, study or journalistic activities, which still require appropriate visas, the NIA said.
Previously, travelers from member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) could enter parts of China visa-free under a separate regional exemption scheme. That program allows group tourists to stay for up to six days in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province, in the southwest, and Guilin, in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, in the south.
Earlier this month, China also introduced a five-year, multiple-entry visa policy for businesspeople from ASEAN member states and observer country Timor-Leste. The so-called "ASEAN visa" extends eligibility to spouses and children of applicants -- allowing stays of up to 180 days per visit.
The NIA said that the latest visa-free transit expansion is part of broader efforts to deepen exchanges and cooperation with ASEAN countries.
The move is expected to boost bilateral cooperation, improve trade and investment efficiency, and foster cultural exchange and mutual understanding between China and Indonesia, NIA officials explained.
Indonesian Ambassador to China Djauhari Oratmangun has welcomed the development, saying the policy will strengthen people-to-people connections, particularly in the tourism sector.
Veronika Saraswati, director of the Indonesia-China Partnership Studies Institute, has also praised the new policy, expressing the view that it is beneficial to bilateral exchanges and cooperation.
"This policy is also in line with China's efforts to promote inclusive globalization and joint development, which will ultimately bring benefits for regional and global peace and prosperity," she added.
The policy shift is part of a series of adjustments to China's visa rules and is aimed at boosting cross-border mobility and exchanges following the COVID-19 pandemic. In December 2024, authorities expanded the visa-free transit window from previous limits of 72 or 144 hours to 240 hours and increased the number of eligible ports by 21.
The expanded coverage now includes regions rich in tourism and in cultural and ethnic heritage, such as north China's Shanxi Province, known as a filming location for "Black Myth: Wukong," east China's Jiangxi Province, famous for its porcelain heritage, and Guizhou Province in southwest China, home to multiple world natural heritage sites.
Additionally, travelers under the visa-free transit program can now travel between multiple destinations within designated regions. In provinces such as Anhui in the east, Hainan in the south, and Guizhou in the southwest, the entire provincial area is now accessible under a single itinerary.
China has also expanded its unilateral visa-free access program, allowing travelers from 47 countries to stay for up to 30 days. Recent additions include countries in Latin America and the Gulf region, such as Brazil and Saudi Arabia.
These sweeping policy changes have facilitated travel to China, fueling a surge in online content and interest around "China Travel," particularly on platforms like YouTube.
In 2024, international travelers made 64.88 million cross-border trips to China, up 82.9 percent year on year. More than 20 million of these were visa-free entries, marking a 112.3 percent increase from the previous year, the NIA revealed.
Notably, during the recent three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday, 231,000 foreigners entered China without a visa -- an increase of 59.4 percent compared to a year earlier. Enditem
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