英语新闻丨免签政策有利于促进全球交流

Spanish businessman Jesus Perez Aguilar arrived in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, in late January for an 11-day business trip, a journey that also took him to Shenzhen and Changsha, Hunan province.

2024年于1月下旬，西班牙企业家耶稣·佩雷斯·阿吉拉尔（Jesus Perez Aguilar）（音译）抵达广州。此次出差他同样前往了深圳和长沙。

Aguilar's frequent trips to China have been propelled by a 2018 agreement, signed during President Xi Jinping's visit to Spain, that allowed the European country to export bone-in ham to China.

中西两国于2018年11月签署了“中国——西班牙猪肉议定书”，这也使得阿吉拉尔时常访问中国，该协议允许欧洲国家向中国出口带骨火腿。

Over the years, Aguilar has become a familiar face in China promoting Iberian ham. In 2023 alone, he visited China four times, staying more than 90 days in the country.

历年来，阿吉拉尔已成为中国推广伊比利亚火腿的老熟人。仅2023一年，他就四次访问中国，连续待了90多天。

The January trip, however, stood out due to a new and convenient measure: a unilateral 15-day visa-free entry policy granted to ordinary passport holders from several European countries, including Spain, as well as Malaysia. This policy, on a trial basis and initially set to expire at the end of the year, has been extended to the end of 2025. It now applies to 14 countries, with Australia and New Zealand recently included.

一项新免签政策引人注目：给予马来西亚和包括西班牙在内的部分欧洲国家的普通护照持有人为期15天的单方面免签证入境政策。该政策最初定于2024年底到期，现已延至2025年底，适用于14个国家/地区。截至6月17最新政策，澳大利亚和新西兰也被纳入中国的单方面免签国家范围。

"These kinds of small conveniences help a lot in promoting commercial exchanges between countries," said Aguilar, who works for the Interprofessional Iberian Pork Association, which is headquartered in Zafra in southern Spain.

“这些便利对促进国家之间的商业交流有很大帮助，”阿吉拉尔说，他工作于处于西班牙南部萨弗拉的伊比利亚猪肉行业协会。

In a written speech delivered at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO Summit in San Francisco in November, Xi reiterated Beijing's commitment to make it easier for foreign expatriates to live and work in China.

"We will also take more 'heartwarming' measures, such as improving the policies on entry and stay of foreign nationals in China and removing for them choke points in financial, medical, e-payment and other services," he told the global business community.

习近平总书记在11月在旧金山举行的亚太经合组织CEO峰会上发表书面讲话：“我们将采取更多‘暖心’措施，如完善外籍人士来华签证和入境政策，为他们消除金融、医疗、电子支付及其他方面的瓶颈，” 突出了中国的免签政策能够让外籍人士更容易在中国生活和工作。

During the Central Economic Work Conference in December, China's top leadership decided to remove more barriers to facilitate business, study and travel in China for foreigners. Since then, central as well as local governments have introduced a series of measures to meet the diverse needs of foreign visitors and expatriates.

在2023年12月的中央经济工作会议上，中国最高领导层决定消除更多障碍，为外籍人士在中国经商、学习和旅行提供便利。中央和地方政府出台了一系列措施，以满足外国游客和外籍人士的多种需求。

Broader agenda

As China has pursued a more proactive strategy of opening-up since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012, observers said these measures exemplify China's efforts to advance a broader agenda of opening-up across more areas and in greater depth.

自2012年中国共产党第十八次全国代表大会以来，中国奉行积极的开放战略。相关人员表示，这些措施体现了中国在更多领域深入推进开放议程的努力。

Matteo Giovannini, an Italian who has lived in China for nearly 11 years and has witnessed such efforts, highly rated the quality of his life in China, considering aspects such as affordability, safety and cultural richness.

意大利人马特奥·乔瓦尼尼（Matteo Giovannini）（音译）在中国生活了近11年，他亲眼目睹了中国的发展并对自己在中国的生活质量，包括支付水平、安全性和文化多样性等方面给予高度评价。

Giovannini said the digitalization of government services is one aspect he has found particularly beneficial for foreigners. "It has made it easier for residents to access public services, pay bills and complete administrative tasks online," he said.

乔瓦尼尼认为，政府服务的数字化是他发现对外籍人士十分有帮助的体现，他说：“（数字化）让居民更容易使用公共服务、获取账单和完成行政事务。”

He said that initially, it was challenging for him to adapt to life in China, as English was not widely available on public transportation and in restaurants when he arrived in 2013 in Dalian, Liaoning province.

起初，当他2013年刚刚到达辽宁大连时，英语在公共交通和餐馆中并未普及，适应中国的生活对他来说是一项挑战。

It would be even better if the availability of translation and interpretation services, especially in critical areas like healthcare, legal services and government offices, can be further increased, he said.

他说，如果能够进一步增加笔译和口译的普及性，尤其在医疗保健、法律服务和政府等相关领域，生活将更加便捷。

Now being deeply immersed in China's culture and traditions and the Chinese language, Giovannini said he does not see himself living somewhere else for the foreseeable future. He was granted permanent residence status in 2022.

"The fact that China enjoys political stability with a predictable living environment is something that cannot be underestimated nowadays," he added.

“中国的政治稳定，生活环境井然有序，这一事实在现代社会是不容小觑的。”乔瓦尼尼十分沉浸于中国的传统文化和学习中文，他认为未来不会生活在其他地方。2022年，他获得了外国人永久居留身份证。

Wang Ying, a researcher at the Beijing-based University of International Business and Economics' Academy of China Open Economy Studies, said that through the facilitation measures, the Chinese government is showing a welcoming attitude toward foreign visitors as well as expatriates in China.

"We can see that the adopted measures are targeted at existing bottlenecks and obstacles, with the purpose of creating a better environment for them to work and live in China in the long run," she said.

As convenience improves, more and more foreigners, including businesspeople, will be willing to come to travel, work and live in China. "This will help boost economic, trade, as well as cultural exchanges between China and other countries, thus deepening cooperation and mutual understanding," Wang said.

（北京）对外经济贸易大学中国开放经济研究院研究员王颖表示：“中国所采取的措施是针对现有的瓶颈和障碍为长期在我国生活工作的外籍人士创造更好的环境，这将有助于促进中国与其他国家之间的经济、贸易和文化交流，从而深化合作和相互理解。”通过这些便利措施，愿意来中国旅游、工作和生活的外籍人士也与日俱增，中国政府对外国游客和在华外籍人士持欢迎态度，

Aguilar, the Spaniard, said he has full confidence in the Chinese economy and will deepen his involvement in the Chinese market with a planned visit in September.

西班牙企业家阿吉拉尔表示，他对中国经济充满信心，并计划于9月访问中国，深度参与中国市场。

He said that in the last five years, sales of Spanish cured ham to China increased more than 104 percent, with an annual growth of 28.5 million euros ($30.52 million). Now China has become Spain's second-largest destination for such products outside the European Union.

"China is a very large country with so many cities of interest to visit and work in," he said, adding that he hopes the 15-day period of the visa-free policy could be extended a few more days to facilitate his stay.

他表明：“中国非常大，我想去很多城市参观和工作。”并补充说他希望免签政策的15天期限能够再延长，方便访问中国。

过去五年中，西班牙腌制火腿出口中国的销售额增长了104%以上，共计2850万欧元（3052万美元）。目前，中国已成为西班牙出口除欧盟以外的第二大火腿出口方。

Wang from UIBE said," Efforts to improve the quality of life for foreign citizens in China will also help to establish an objective understanding of China and enhance their sense of belonging toward China by showcasing the openness, inclusiveness and friendliness of China as a major country."

对外经济贸易大学的王颖说：“努力提高外籍人士在中国的生活质量，将有助于塑造对中国的客观认识，增强他们对中国的归属感，展示中国的开放性、包容性和友好性。

Getting a true picture

For many foreign visitors who have never been to China, an in-person visit will enable them to get a true picture of how the country looks today after decades of reform and opening-up, Wang said.

王颖还补充，对于许多从未来华的外国游客来说，亲身经历能使他们真实地了解中国在改革开放几十年后的真实写照。

In the first quarter of this year, foreign nationals made four times more trips in and out of China, data from the National Immigration Administration showed. During this period, the administration issued around 466,000 visa documents for foreign nationals and granted over 1.98 million foreign travelers visa-free entry, up 118.8 percent and 266.1 percent, respectively.

中国国家移民管理局4月18日发布的最新数据显示，今年一季度，外国人来华数量较2023年同期增长3倍多，累计签发外国人签证证件46.6万人次、同比上升118.8%，免签入境外国人198.8万人次、同比上升266.1%。

Videos shared by foreign tourists on video platforms about their firsthand travel experiences in China have been going viral recently.

外国游客在社交媒体平台上分享的关于他们在中国的旅行Vlog最近在YouTube走红。

In a video titled "Shocked by this crazy city in China" that received 545,000 views, the You-Tube user "JetLag Warriors" experienced the transportation and accommodations services, tasted local food and visited tourist attractions in Chongqing.

在一段名为“被中国一座疯狂的城市震撼”的视频中，YouTube用户“JetLag Warriors”体验了重庆的交通和住宿，品尝了当地美食，并参观了旅游景点。

A viewer with the username "dr_emmz" said in a comment under the video that, "I can't believe you guys made me smile the whole day.… China is the best country, lots of places to explore, lots of food, lots of cultures, it's almost unreal, and this is not what the media shows us, I'm actually coming to China for my vacation this year, so excited".

一位名为“dr_emmz”的用户在视频下方评论：“我简直不敢相信你们的视频让我一整天都充满笑意......中国是最好的国家，有很多地方、食物和文化值得探索。太不真实了，这与媒体展示的中国截然不同。我今年会去中国度假，感觉很兴奋。”

Miao Lu, secretary-general of the Center for China and Globalization, a Beijing-based think tank, said that with efforts to facilitate cross-border travel and high-standard opening-up, China is leading globalization against a rising trend of anti-globalization and implementing the Global Development Initiative and other major initiatives proposed by China.

"By doing so, China is telling the rest of the world that its commitment to expanding opening-up is not just lip service," she said.

中国与全球化智库（CCG）秘书长苗绿表示：“中国正在告诉世界，扩大开放的承诺不仅仅是口头上的。”中国在促进跨境旅行和高水平开放方面，正引领全球化，顶住逆全球化的上升趋势，落实全球发展倡议。

Iberian ham

n.伊比利亚火腿

Interprofessional Iberian Pork Association

n.伊比利亚猪肉行业协会

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO Summit

n.亚太经合组织CEO峰会

National Congress of the Communist Party of China

n.中国共产党全国代表大会

National Immigration Administration

n.国家移民管理局