Friends of Socialist China Britain Committee Secretary David Peat recently attended a London event organised by the Chinese National Tourism Office (CNTO) and industry partners celebrating and raising awareness of the Chinese government’s recent policy change allowing British passport holders to visit the People’s Republic of China for tourism or business purposes visa-free for up to 30 days. In the article below David explains how the policy works and how China’s tourism strategy is a fitting and effective way for the country to celebrate its successes and show the world how its system is working to improve its citizens’ lives—a living and vibrant contrast to the increasing chaos and declining living standards in the Western world.
The recent viral phenomenon of “Chinamaxxing”—in which Westerners, increasingly exposed to less biased content highlighting the reality of everyday life in China, are expressing their excitement and admiration of aspects of Chinese culture (see the upcoming online seminar on the topic, organised by Friends of Socialist China)—is set to receive a further boost in Britain as it has just recently joined the group of countries whose citizens can visit the People’s Republic of China (PRC) without requiring a visa, allowing more and more people to conveniently see the country’s achievements for themselves.
The new policy came into effect on February 17 and allows UK passport holders to visit the country for the purposes of “business, tourism, family/friends visit, exchange and transit purposes.” Britain joins around 50 other countries, including most of Europe, Canada, Japan, and many others, to which China has offered a unilateral visa-free policy,[1] alongside around 30 countries with which China has bilateral agreements. All part of the Communist Party of China’s strategy to facilitate people-people connection and show the world a “more open, accessible China.”[2]
How does this work in practice?
Those wishing to travel to China, either as a main or stopover destination, can now simply buy flights and/or cruise tickets and enter the PRC at a wide variety of airports/ports. Alternatively, you could enter by high-speed train from Hong Kong SAR. The policy allows for a lot of flexibility in terms of itineraries and a full list of entry ports can be found here. The policy is officially announced to run for arrivals up until December 31 2026, however it is routinely extended with announcements in the middle of the year expected to confirm its extension for further periods. There is no limit per year or per passport on entries, so you could in theory visit for 30 days, do a ‘visa hop’ over to e.g. nearby Hanoi, and then re-enter for another 30 days. These trips must be for the purposes mentioned above—work or study still require a visa.
At the airport before departure, airline staff will check that your passport and itinerary duration (up to 30 days) are correct so no other admin preparation is required and you do not need to give itinerary or hotel booking details. Upon arrival you fill out a short arrival card, or this can be done by in advance by visiting this website, which gives you a QR code for quicker entry.
Once in China you are able to explore the length and breadth of the country using its world-class infrastructure. The world’s most extensive high speed rail network and reliable and affordable domestic flights allow you to visit the enormous variety of landscapes and cultures of the country. You can organise your trip independently or through a tour operator.[3] Contrary to Western propaganda, you can freely visit China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region – see this video of a Friends of Socialist China in-person meeting for a discussion of the tourism opportunities in this region. If planning to visit Xizang Autonomous Region (Tibet), this section of the trip would require a permit and the itinerary to be arranged by a certified Tour Operator. There are many Western travel agents who can assist with this.
Other methods to increase accessibility
Once you’ve arrived, you’ll experience the many other ways that China is making itself more accessible for international tourism. Recent policy changes have made China’s world-famous payment apps ‘WeChat Pay’ and ‘AliPay’ easier to use. It is advisable to download and set up your bank card on these apps prior to travel. These may seem intimidating at first but once you’ve used them, you’ll quickly become a natural, at which point you’ll notice how affordable everything is! In addition to this, China has made tax-free shopping more convenient for travellers, with on-site refunds instead of having to queue up at the airport. As such, your shopping will be even cheaper.
The many ‘eSim’ services advertised work extremely well in China, allowing you to access data, including allowing you to use Google, WhatsApp, and other services not typically used by Chinese citizens (who have their own equivalents). So, there’s no need to worry about feeling disconnected from home and you can freely share your photos etc. on social media.
How to get there
Chinese airlines such as the national flag carrier Air China have recently added 2,900 extra flights between Europe and the PRC to serve the enormously growing demand. Between Europe and Asia, more and more airspace is being restricted due to US and NATO instigated conflicts. Since China maintains friendly relations with the vast majority of the world, it is able to use their airspace without trouble—this allows for safer, quicker, and more fuel efficient routes, which in turns means cheaper tickets. Currently the vast majority of Western airlines travelling to Asia have to navigate a narrow air corridor over the Caucasus (between Ukraine/Russia to the north and Iran to the South), which could itself become easily disrupted if the conflicts were to spread. Chinese airlines can avoid this region entirely, and fly over Russia and therefore the flights between London and Beijing are around 10-11 hours, and £500-£700 return for economy class seats.
The visa-free option has no ‘minimum’ limit, so short stopovers in major hubs such as Beijing, Shanghai, Xi’an, Chengdu, Guangzhou etc. are logical and affordable add-ons for those travelling onwards to East or Southeast Asia, and even Australia or New Zealand. Chinese airlines are also investing in increasing flights to South Asia, so routings that would otherwise seem somewhat indirect are becoming more attractive due to the low price point and the increasing disruptions across West Asia.
Why visit China?
China is already world famous for its ~5,000 year history and its ‘iconic’ natural and cultural attractions—the Great Wall, the pandas, the Terracotta Warriors, Zhangjiajie (otherwise known as ‘Avatar Mountains’)—but increasingly it is contemporary attractions and conveniences that are appealing to visitors. Experiences such as having your Luckin Coffee (including a chocolate flavoured Moutai latte)delivered by drone in Shenzhen, visiting the real-life inspirations behind the video game Black Myth: Wukong, or simply enjoying the vibrant craft beer scene in Xi’an, are drawing visitors to the country.
All of the above is built on a modern, safe, convenient, and reliable China that is extremely welcoming to all comers. Almost everyone you meet is comfortable using their phone to do real-time translation, and more likely than not, you’ll be asked to take a selfie or two with some people you meet along the way!
More and more, people are realising that China has a huge amount to offer, and that it’s in such stark contrast to the chaotic scenes of decline in some formerly popular tourist destinations in the West. The US, under Trump’s infamously petty and cruel Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), is routinely harassing visitors at airports—screening their social media history, detaining and questioning tourists, and even deporting those attempting to visit. Ironic of course since it is US media who are constantly accusing China of being hostile and “totalitarian”.
More and more people in Western countries have realised that they haven’t been given all the facts regarding China and are very keen to find out more. As such, the efforts China has made to increase accessibility should be very welcome. As a tourist destination it boasts the second greatest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the world, and has enormous diversity, meaning even multiple visits barely scratch the surface of what it can offer. Ås China becomes an increasingly important actor on the world stage, and its achievements build and build, it is guaranteed that people will want to see it for themselves. Thankfully, now, it is that much easier.
[1] It should be stressed that Britain still requires expensive and complicated visas for Chinese citizens to visit, a huge missed opportunity for people-people to exchange, the tourism industry, the academic sphere and beyond—routinely justified on the basis of racist scaremongering.
[2] ‘Inbound tourism boom highlights more open, accessible China’, Quishi, https://en.qstheory.cn/2026-01/13/c_1154435.htm.
[3] If choosing independent booking, we’d recommend using Chinese services such as trip.com over Western companies such as Booking.com and Airbnb which have recently been added to the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (DBS) boycott list due to their “offering services such as vacation homes and hotels in Israeli illegal settlements built on stolen Palestinian land.”
