Chinese authority in HKSAR issues easier visa policy for foreigners inoculated with Chinese vaccine

A staff member reminds foreigners to fill in an arrival card at Qingdao Liuting International Airport in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, March 5, 2020. /Xinhua

China has simplified its visa policy for foreigners applying to enter the Chinese mainland via Hong Kong who have received China-produced COVID-19 vaccines.

The Office of the Commissioner of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region issued a notice on Friday exempting foreign visa applicants who have received a Chinese vaccine from providing health certification.

In view of resuming people-to-people exchanges between China and other countries in an orderly manner, starting from Monday, the office will provide facilitation for visa applicants who have been inoculated with COVID-19 vaccines produced in China and obtained vaccination certificates, read the statement.

Foreign travelers who have been vaccinated with non-Chinese vaccines will continue to be required to present negative nucleic acid tests and a health and travel declaration form, the statement said.

According to the new visa policy, foreign nationals and their family members visiting the Chinese mainland for resuming work and production in various fields need only to provide the documents required before the COVID-19 pandemic when applying for a visa.

The scope of applicants eligible for applying for a visa out of emergent humanitarian needs will also be expanded; holders of valid Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) business travel cards will also have easier process to apply for a visa, according to the office's notice.

So far, China has donated or is donating COVID-19 vaccines to 69 developing countries in urgent need, and is exporting vaccines to 43 countries. More than 60 countries have authorized the use of Chinese vaccines, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a press conference on March 10.