China to reopen to tourists, resume all visas Wednesday

HONG KONG (AP) — China will reopen its borders to tourists and resume issuing all visas Wednesday as it tries to revive tourism and its economy following a three-year halt during the COVID-19 pandemic. China is one of the last major countries to reopen its borders to tourists. In February, China had declared a “decisive victory” over COVID-19. The move announced Tuesday (March 14, 2023) would “further facilitate the exchange of Chinese and foreign personnel,” according to the notice. China had stuck to a harsh “zero-COVID” strategy involving sudden lockdowns and daily COVID-19 testing to try to stop the virus before abandoning most aspects of the policy in December amid growing opposition.