Starting June 1, 2025, citizens from five South American countries will be able to enter China without a visa for short stays.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on May 15, 2025, that nationals of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay will be eligible for visa-free entry.
This policy, effective from June 1, 2025, through May 31, 2026, will allow citizens from these five countries to stay in China for up to 30 days without a visa, for purposes including tourism, business, family/friends visits, exchange, or transit.
During his daily press briefing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian stated that “China remains committed to high-level opening up and will take more steps to make travel easier between China and other countries.”
“We welcome more foreign friends to benefit from China’s visa-free and other visa facilitation policies to come to China and experience its diversity, vibrancy and dynamism,” Lin Jian added.
Strengthening China–Latin America relations
This move comes as ties between China and Latin America reach new heights. According to recently released data, trade between China and Latin America exceeded $500 billion in 2024, more than 40 times the level in 2000. China is now the top trading partner for several South American nations.
Beyond trade, China unveiled new economic cooperation initiatives during the China–CELAC Forum held this week in Beijing. President Xi Jinping announced a credit line of 66 billion yuan (approximately $9.2 billion) to support development projects in infrastructure and energy. The initiative also aims to promote broader international use of the yuan in trade and finance.
During his meeting with Xi Jinping, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva emphasized the importance of maintaining a balanced relationship with China. He highlighted Brazil’s desire to expand youth and cultural exchanges to deepen mutual understanding and friendship between the two nations.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric, whose country already enjoys a comprehensive free trade agreement with China, expressed enthusiasm about further expanding cooperation in trade, investment, artificial intelligence, and other fields, as well as strengthening cultural and people-to-people ties to achieve more tangible outcomes in the China–Chile relationship.
China : easing entry to boost international exchanges
As part of its post-pandemic recovery strategy, China has gradually eased its entry policies to revive tourism and encourage international exchanges.
On December 1, 2023, Beijing introduced visa-free entry for citizens of six countries, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, and Malaysia, for stays of up to 15 days.
In March 2024, six more European countries were added: Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, and Luxembourg.
In May 2024, China extended visa-free travel for all eligible countries through December 31, 2025. Then, in July, three more countries joined the list: Australia, New Zealand, and Poland.
In September 2024, three additional European nations, Greece, Norway and Slovenia, were included. Two months later, in November 2024, China expanded the policy to nine more countries: Andorra, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, Slovakia and South Korea.
Finally, since December 2024, Beijing has extended the duration of visa-free stays from 15 to 30 days for nationals of the 38 countries now eligible. This extension, along with temporary reductions in biometric requirements and short-term visa fees, reflects a targeted strategy to enhance China’s global appeal and openness.
