China extends 144-hr visa-free transit to more cities

The number of Chinese border ports that allow eligible international travelers to transit within 144 hours without a visa will increase to 27 from Dec. 1, said the National Immigration Administration (NIA) Wednesday.

The newly added border ports to the list are Chongqing Municipality in southwest China, Xi'an, capital of northwest 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 and Guangzhou.

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.