Tencent teams with PayPal to let foreign travelers pay with Weixin QR codes across China
China highlights visa-free expansion and smarter borders in State Council media briefing
Beijing signals closer Brazil ties ahead of minister’s visit—business circles eye visa facilitation
Latest News
ITB China 2026 Opens in Shanghai as Visa-Free Policies Spark Inbound Travel Boom
ITB China 2026 opened in Shanghai on 27 May, drawing 900+ exhibitors and 1,700 Chinese buyers. The show’s buzz reflects China’s aggressive visa-free and transit-waiver rollout, which has already pushed inbound arrivals in Shanghai up 20 percent year-on-year. Suppliers from cruise lines to DMOs unveiled new China-focused products, while corporates looked to leverage smoother entry for project travel. The event signals that China’s border is not only open but actively courting global mobility.
Beijing Hotels Rethink Services as 80 % of Foreign Guests Travel Independently
At a 27 May TravelDaily conference, Beijing hotels reported that 80 %+ of their foreign guests now travel independently, spurred by visa-free entry and digital tools. Properties are responding with multilingual ‘city insider’ teams, app-based neighbourhood guides and direct API links to China’s accommodation-registration system. The shift is reshaping corporate hotel RFPs and underscores a broader move toward experience-centric, compliance-ready hospitality.
Commentary: Wave of High-Level Visits to Beijing Underscores China’s ‘Open-Door’ Diplomacy
A 27 May People’s Daily commentary points to a record stream of foreign heads of state and CEOs visiting Beijing, crediting China’s expanded visa-free regimes and restored air connectivity. The article frames inbound mobility as both economic lubricant and diplomatic soft power, signalling to businesses that high-level access to China is easier—and strategically valuable—once again.