China Opens Up to More Tourists as the U.S. Under Trump Closes Itself Off

As the U.S. under President Donald Trump increasingly closes itself off from the world, denying entry to tourists amid a crackdown on border controls and migration, its geopolitical rival China, which has long been known for its relative isolation, has loosened its travel restrictions to unprecedented levels. By July 16, China will have expanded visa-free entry to 75 countries as part of a broader campaign to boost inbound tourism, which has already seen a surge. Last year, over 20 million foreigners visited China without a visa, doubling that of the previous year, according to China’s National Immigration Administration. Shanghai alone received 2.6 million overseas visits in the first half of this year, around half of which were visa-free entries, a 45% year-on-year increase. China has been steadily pushing for more people to visit since reopening its borders in early 2023, after its “Zero-COVID” policies appeared for a time as though they might drive the country into a lasting isolation. It’s also part of China’s effort to boost its soft power, especially at a time when the Trump Administration appears to be withdrawing the U.S. from the global stage. In recent months, Trump has moved to restrict international students from the U.S., impose sweeping tariffs on the rest of the world, and shutter USAID, while reports of tourists being detained or denied entry by Immigration and Customs Enforcement have deterred some from visiting the U.S. China’s response to U.S. actions—including the targeting of Chinese international students and U.S. intervention in the Israel-Iran War—has been relatively restrained, signalling the country’s desire to maintain cordial diplomatic ties to the U.S., especially amid trade negotiations, while also advocating for multilateralism like never before.  The U.S. has “demonstrated its military capabilities, its commitment to allies, and its influence in crisis management” through Trump’s efforts to broker peace deals around the world, at times wielding the threat of force, but “these are not the metrics by which China measures its global role,” says Lin Jing, a research fellow at the Middle East Institute at the National University of Singapore. “Instead, China continues to showcase its consistency and stability, its non-aligned posture, and its support for a U.N.-centered international order.”. “There’s recognition that when you don’t have people-to-people exchanges, you lose an important bulwark against populist rhetoric on both sides,” David Weeks, co-founder and chief operating officer of Sunrise International, a consulting firm that advises overseas universities on recruiting Chinese students, previously told TIME. “China thinks that we need more, not less, exchange if we have disagreements.” In May, Chinese Ambassador Xie Feng emphasized the importance of people-to-people exchanges to U.S.-China relations, just as the U.S. announced enhanced screenings of student visa applicants from China and Hong Kong. “It is people-to-people ties that invigorate China-U.S. relations,” he said at his embassy. “We warmly welcome all American friends to travel in China, shop in China, succeed in China and take part in Chinese modernisation. Come and see the country with your own eyes.” Inbound tourism could also help to rejuvenate China’s domestic economy, which the Chinese government has prioritized to mitigate against the worst effects of Trump’s tariffs as well as high youth unemployment and a persistent real estate crisis. China is opening more duty-free shops around the country in an effort to bolster spending within the country. Meanwhile, Chinese businesses, like ‘Labubu’ toy retailer Pop Mart, have gained global popularity, boosting China’s soft power and interest around the world in visiting the country. Here’s what to know. What are China’s new visa-free rules Much of Europe, Asia, and parts of the Middle East are able to travel to China without a visa. China began expanding its visa-free scheme after reopening its borders in 2023 after inbound travel plummeted during the pandemic. The country saw just 14 million visitors in 2023 as compared to 32 million in 2019. Since then, Beijing has introduced or resumed visa-free entry for visitors from nearly every European country, including France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and most Asian countries, including Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, and South Korea. Citizens of five Latin American countries—Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay—and Uzbekistan were added to the scheme in June. Four countries in the Middle East—Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Saudi Arabia—were also granted visa-free entry last month. Azerbaijan will become eligible on July 16, bringing the total to 75. (By comparison, nationals from 42 countries have visa-free access to the U.S. for tourism or business stays up to 90 days under the Visa Waiver Program.) China’s scheme allows citizens of eligible countries to enter without a visa for up to 30 days. “Our inbound tourism has already recovered to 70 to 80 per cent of pre-Covid levels. It could be fully recovered this year,” James Liang, chairman of China’s leading online travel service Ctrip, reportedly told Shanghai-based outlet The Paper. “There are still some bottlenecks to be addressed. If they are tackled, China’s inbound tourism could reach the world’s top tier in 10 or 20 years.” China has also expanded its transit policy that allows travellers from 55 countries to enter China without a visa for 10 days if they then depart for a different country from where they came. The transit policy includes 10 countries that are not part of the visa-free scheme: Canada, the Czech Republic, Indonesia, Lithuania, Mexico, Russia, the U.K., Ukraine, and the U.S. China is also aiming to open up Xinjiang—the Uyghur autonomous region that is under Western sanctions over human-rights concerns—to more domestic and foreign tourists. Earlier this year, local officials announced goals of bringing in at least 400 million annual visits to the region by 2030. Travel to the U.S. falls China’s opening up is happening against a backdrop of the U.S. tightening its visa rules. Trump has targeted international students in his crackdown on universities across the U.S. His punitive moves have included attempting to remove Harvard’s ability to enroll international students, targeting foreign-born students for removal from the country, and quietly revoking the visas of thousands of international students (before reversing the move). He’s also heightened screening requirements for student visa applicants—especially those from China—including requiring applicants make their social media accounts “public” for vetting. During his 2024 campaign, Trump also vowed to reinstate his travel ban on travellers from Muslim countries, and in June he announced a new travel ban on nationals from 12 countries and tightened restrictions on nationals from seven more. And he is reportedly considering adding 36 countries to the travel ban list. Several countries have issued advisories about travelling to the U.S., including China, which advised its citizens to “fully assess the risks” before travelling to the U.S. because of “the deterioration in China-U.S. trade relations and the domestic security situation in the U.S.” Some European countries, including the U.K. and Germany, issued warnings after multiple European travellers were detained at the U.S. border, some for weeks. Others, including Denmark, Ireland, and the Netherlands, cautioned transgender and nonbinary travellers about U.S. travel after Trump issued an executive order recognizing only two sexes, and several states have targeted trans people. Canada, too, warned its citizens about potential delays, denial of entry, and device seizures. Some Canadians have also launched a travel boycott of the U.S., after Trump repeatedly threatened to use “economic force” to make Canada the 51st state of the U.S. Overseas travel to the U.S. has dropped 2.5% through April this year as compared to a year ago, Bloomberg reported, with the largest drop of 10% happening in March after Trump announced tariffs on Canada, China, and Mexico. The World Travel & Tourism Council estimates that the U.S. will lose out on $12.5 billion from tourism this year, although some suggest the shortfall could be as high as $29 billion.