French people holding a valid Chinese residence permit will now be able to return to China without having to make a tedious new visa application, Chinese and French authorities said on Friday (September 3rd).
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The Asian country has globally controlled the Covid-19 epidemic on its soil since the spring of 2020 and has only recorded a handful of new daily patients.
However, he is worried about an importation of the virus via travelers arriving from abroad.
Visa application required before
China has drastically limited the number of international air links since last year.
Since November, it has even suspended the entry into its territory of French people holding valid residence permits.
Employees and managers of companies who normally live in Beijing, Shanghai or other Chinese cities and who have returned temporarily to France have thus not been able to return to Chinese soil, as have their families.
Anyone wishing to travel to China had to reapply for a visa with the Chinese authorities.
But these were only issued in small quantities and to a small number of candidates.
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"
French people holding a valid Chinese residence permit can now return to China without first making a new visa application
," the French embassy in China said on Friday.
"
The lifting of this measure was announced by the competent Chinese authorities as of September 2, 2021
", she underlined in an email, putting this advance to the credit of "
the constant mobilization of the French authorities
".
Soaring airline ticket prices
The relaxation concerns holders of a "
permanent resident card
" ("
green card
") or a "
work, personal business (or) family reunification permit
", specified the embassy of China in Paris. Travelers wishing to travel to China by plane from or via France remain required to provide negative results of a PCR test and a serological test carried out within two days before boarding. Despite the relaxation announced on Friday, those whose residence permit has already expired, as is the case for many French people, should remain stranded.
The price of plane tickets is also a stumbling block for travel candidates, a return flight direct between the two countries currently costing several thousand euros.