China has announced that it will include the United Kingdom in its unilateral visa-free entry program, which it launched in 2023 to boost inbound travel following the COVID-19 pandemic. U.S. President Donald Trump, referring to the UK, said today, “It is very dangerous for them to do this. For Canada, doing business with China is even more dangerous.”
Following UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s three-day visit to China, agreements and decisions reached between the two countries continue to draw attention.
In a statement, the UK government said that a visa waiver agreement was reached between the two sides during Prime Minister Starmer’s visit to China.
Accordingly, British citizens will be able to travel to China without a visa for stays of up to 30 days.
Commenting on the decision, Prime Minister Starmer said that British companies are seeking ways to maintain a presence in China, one of the world’s most important economic power centers. He emphasized that the visa-free arrangement for short-term travel would help companies expand their operations abroad while boosting growth and employment at home.
Aiming to revive overseas travel and tourism that declined during the COVID-19 pandemic, China has taken steps to encourage travel by introducing visa waiver arrangements with various countries.
The Beijing administration increased the duration of its visa-free program from 15 to 30 days and expanded the number of participating countries to 47, after initially launching the program with six countries in December 2023. In addition, citizens of 55 countries are allowed visa-free transit stays of up to 10 days.
China also has reciprocal visa waiver agreements with 29 countries.
Economic measures
British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, known for its COVID-19 vaccine, announced that it will invest $15 billion in China by 2030.
China reduced import tariffs on British whisky from 10 percent to 5 percent.
Trump: This is very dangerous for the UK
U.S. President Donald Trump spoke to reporters while entering the gala screening of the film “Melania,” made in the name of his wife Melania Trump, at the Kennedy Center. He made remarks on a range of issues from Iran to Canada.
Trump also responded to a question about the UK’s plans to pursue new cooperation with China.
Referring to the UK, the U.S. president said, “It’s very dangerous for them to do this. For Canada, doing business with China is even more dangerous. Canada is not doing well right now.”