The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on May 15 that, starting from June 1, 2025, citizens of Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay can enjoy a visa-free stay in China for up to 30 days. This policy will be implemented for one year, effective until May 31, 2026. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian stated that this move aims to further facilitate the exchange of personnel between China and Latin American countries, taking their cooperation in tourism, business, and cultural exchanges to a new level.
This visa-free policy has a wide range of applications, covering various purposes such as tourism, business negotiations, family visits, academic exchanges, transit, and more. Brazilian citizens do not need to apply for a visa in advance and can enter China with a valid passport, engaging in activities like business inspections, tourism, or reuniting with relatives and friends freely within the 30-day period. This policy will make it more convenient for Brazilian citizens to travel to China, bringing the level of convenience on par with countries in Europe, the Americas, and East Asia, significantly enhancing interaction efficiency.
The introduction of the visa-free policy is related to the Fourth Ministerial Forum of the China-Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) Forum. China has pledged to provide a new credit line of $9 billion to the Latin American and Caribbean region and increase investment in local infrastructure development. These measures reflect China's high regard for the Latin American market and signify the development of the comprehensive partnership between China and Latin America towards a broader level of cultural exchanges.
Since last year, China has been gradually implementing visa-free policies with several countries, forming a combination of efforts to expand its openness to the world. Including Brazil and other Latin American countries in the visa-free range is an important step for China to deepen cooperation with developing countries and build a comprehensive diplomatic layout. This visa-free policy will inject vitality into China-Brazil bilateral trade and is expected to promote cultural exchanges in tourism, education, and culture, enhancing the level of cooperation.
Brazilian businesses will benefit from the visa-free policy, reducing the threshold for business travel. The Brazil-China Business Council stated that the 30-day visa-free policy brings convenience to the Brazilian business community, encouraging more entrepreneurs to take advantage of this opportunity to penetrate the Chinese market, especially in areas like new energy, agricultural technology, and the digital economy.
Analysts believe that this visa-free policy not only facilitates visa procedures but also symbolizes the deepening of mutual trust and cooperation between China and Latin American countries. People-to-people exchanges will strengthen the public opinion foundation between China and Latin America, providing a broader space for cooperation in areas such as trade and investment, technological innovation, and climate change. The policy will continue to yield results, marking a new step towards the construction of a community of shared future between China and Latin America.