Starting September 1, Japanese businessmen and tourists will not
require visas for brief visits to China.
As is now the case for tourists from Singapore and Brunei,
Japanese visitors will be permitted to stay in China for up to 15
days without a visa.
"This new measure will promote bilateral contacts such as
tourism and personnel exchanges between China and Japan," said
Huang Xingyuan, counselor with the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo.
With a trade volume of US$101.91 billion last year, Japan has
remained China's largest trade partner for the past 10 years while
China has become Japan's second largest, behind the United
States.
Official statistics indicate that 3.68 million Chinese and
Japanese visited each other's country last year.
Over the years China has gradually loosened restrictions on
Japanese visitors by simplifying the procedure for visa
applications and providing access to long-term multi-entry visas.
According to Huang, Japan has been pressing for the convenience of
a visa-free option for short stays.
The new move was agreed upon during Chinese Foreign Minister Li
Zhaoxing's visit to Japan last week. It is seen as an effort by the
Chinese government to lift the nation's tourism industry out of a
relapse caused by SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) in
spring.
Japan has long been China's largest tourist provider, accounting
for up to 20 percent of all international visitors in recent
years.
In 2002, 2.9 million Japanese tourists visited China, up 23
percent from 2001 and hitting a record high, official figures
show.
"In this case, the measure is an indication that China and Japan
need each other," said Huang.
(China Daily?August 22, 2003)