THE number of Chinese border ports that allow eligible international travelers to transit within 144 hours without a visa will increase to 27 starting Dec. 1, said the National Immigration Administration yesterday. The newly added border ports to the list are Chongqing Municipality in Southwest China, Xi’an, capital of Shaanxi Province, and Ningbo in East China’s Zhejiang Province, the NIA said in a press release. The list now includes major cities across China, such as Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Qingdao, Wuhan, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Meanwhile, the other three border ports of Changsha, Guilin and Harbin enjoy a 72-hour visa-free transit policy. The visa-free transit policy approved by the State Council applies to people from 53 countries including Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Russia, the United States, Brazil, Japan and Qatar. (Xinhua) |