A border inspection officer helps a foreigner navigate the customs entry procedures. [Photo/CCTV]

A flight from Australia carrying 196 foreign passengers arrived at the Shanghai Pudong International Airport on July 1, marking the first visa-free entries from Australia, New Zealand, and Poland to China.

"The visa-free policy is very convenient, and going through customs was smooth and fast, saving us a lot of time. I am excited about exploring in China," said an Australian traveler.

China has recently granted visa-free entry to New Zealand, Australia, and Poland. From July 1, 2024, to Dec 31, 2025, ordinary passport holders of these three nations can enter and stay for up to 15 days in China for business, tourism, family visits, or transit purposes.

Six direct flights from New Zealand and Australia arrived in Shanghai the day the visa-free policy took effect.

Previously, China unilaterally implemented visa-free policies for holders of ordinary passports from six countries − France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Malaysia, and later applied the policy to Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, and Luxembourg.

China's visa-free entry policy, along with its 72/144-hour visa-free transit policy, has greatly pushed up the number of foreign travelers arriving in Shanghai. According to Shanghai Customs, in the first half of this year, more than 8 million inbound travelers have arrived at the city's airports, a year-on-year growth of 173 percent.

Source: "pdnews" WeChat account