Inbound travelers lines up at the Beijing Capital International Airport on December 3, 2023. (PHOTO: VCG)

By GONG Qian

As of December 31, 214,000 people from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia entered China, up 28.5 percent from November, according to China's National Immigration Administration (NIA).

Among them, the number of visitors holding ordinary passports without a visa totaled 118,000, accounting for 55.1 percent of all visitors from the six countries during this period. More than 77 percent of the ordinary passport holders visited China for travel and or business activities, said NIA.

China has implemented a unilateral visa-free policy for ordinary passport holders from the six countries, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry. From December 1, 2023 to November 30, 2024, holders of ordinary passports from these countries may enter China visa-free for business, tourism, visiting relatives and friends and transit for no more than 15 days.