China expands number of countries on visa-free list to over 70: No African country included

China has increased over time, the number of countries it has given unilateral visa-free entry to 75, but there is not a single country from Africa, even though the continent is its largest trading partner.

According to the China-Africa Research Initiative of the Johns Hopkins University, bilateral trade between China and Africa has been steadily increasing over the past two decades. But since 2014, weak commodity prices have significantly impacted the value of African exports to China, even as Chinese exports to Africa remained steady. The data includes North Africa.

It states further that due to supply chain disruptions caused by COVID-19, the value of China-Africa trade dropped from $192 billion in 2019 to $176 billion in 2020. However, the trade value rebounded in 2021 and continued to grow in 2022 and 2023, reaching $262 billion.

But to further facilitate cross-border travel and China’s high-quality development and high-standard opening up, the country decided to extend its unilateral visa-free policy to more countries, which involves visa-free treatment to travellers holding ordinary passport to 75, but no single African country is on the list.

The countries include the following: Brunei, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Holland, Malaysia, Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Australia, Poland, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, Slovenia, Slovakia, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Andorra, Monaco, Liechtenstein, Korea, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Malta, Estonia, Latvia, Japan, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Uruguay (Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Uruguay take effect from June 1, 2025 ), holding valid ordinary passports can be exempted from visa requirement if entering into China for the purpose of business, tourism, family or friends visits, exchange and transit. Citizens of these countries can stay in China for no more than 30 days without visa.

The Chinese government has been steadily expanding visa-free entry in a bid to boost tourism, the economy and its soft power. In 2024, more than 20 million foreign visitors entered China without a visa — almost one-third of the total and more than double from the previous year, according to the National Immigration Administration.

In December 2023, China announced visa-free entry for citizens of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia. Since then, almost all of Europe has been added to the list. Travelers from five Latin American countries and Uzbekistan became eligible in May 2025, followed by four in the Middle East. The total will grow to 75 on July 16 with the addition of Azerbaijan.

About two-thirds of the countries have been granted visa-free entry on a one-year trial basis.

By Emmanuel K Dogbevi

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