Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning Photo: fmprc.gov.cn

China will make continued effort to facilitate cross-border travel,mk welcome friends from all countries to visit China, to experience the country's glamour and share in the dividends of China's development, said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning.

Mao made the remarks during a routine press briefing on Wednesday, feeding a question about Chinese government's recent decision to provide visa-free entry for visitors from nine more countries. 

While streamlining the procedure of travelling to China, China also committed to making life and work in China more convenient and comfortable for foreign friends, Mao said.

Places including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong Province improved payment services, including by mobile devices, bank cards and cash, to make online shopping and transportation more problem-free for foreign friends. To date, more cities have set up special windows to provide one-stop service to help foreign nationals to get work permit and residence permit faster, the spokesperson said.

Chinese telecom providers, by opening new shops, improving foreign language services and launching new packages, have enabled foreign friends to access and use 5G network more conveniently, according to Mao.

To date, China has implemented visa-free entry for a total of 38 countries, and at the same time adopted reciprocal visa exemption agreements with 25 countries, according to the ministry.

Mao explained that China has also made Chinese visa application more efficient and easier by improving the visa application form, canceling visa reservation, expanding the scope of fingerprinting exemption, lowering visa fees and other measures.

Global Times