On May 15, 2025, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian announced at a regular press conference: From June 1, 2025 to May 31, 2026, China will implement a visa-free policy for ordinary passport holders from five South American countries, namely Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Uruguay. This news was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirring up waves in the field of international exchanges, and arousing widespread attention and heated discussions.
1. Details of visa exemption policy
According to the policy, citizens from Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay, who hold ordinary passports and come to China for business, sightseeing, visiting relatives and friends, exchange visits, or transit activities, and stay for no more than 30 days, can enter China directly without a visa. This measure greatly simplifies the previously cumbersome visa application process, saves applicants time and cost costs, and makes it easier and more convenient for citizens of the five countries to come to China. "Go on a trip" is no longer an unattainable dream.
2. Policy Background and Significance
1. Solid foundation for economic and trade cooperation
In recent years, China and these five South American countries have achieved remarkable results in economic and trade cooperation. Taking China-Brazil relations as an example, Brazil has long occupied an important position as China's largest trading partner in Latin America. In 2024, the bilateral trade volume will exceed the 200 billion US dollar mark. China imports a large number of high-quality agricultural products such as soybeans and meat from Brazil to meet the huge domestic market demand; at the same time, China's electronic products, machinery and equipment have won the love and trust of many consumers in the Brazilian market with their excellent quality and reasonable prices. Argentina is also an important trading partner of China. The cooperation between the two sides in the fields of energy, agriculture and other fields continues to deepen, and the trade volume will reach 25 billion US dollars in 2024. Chile, Peru and Uruguay also maintain close trade relations with China in mineral resources, agricultural product imports and exports. On this basis, the introduction of the visa-free policy is like injecting strong power into the train of bilateral economic and trade cooperation. The cost of business personnel travel has been greatly reduced, and the processes of business negotiations, signing and project promotion will be more efficient and smooth. Enterprises can capture market trends more promptly and keenly, further expand their business territory, promote the continuous growth of bilateral trade volume, and deepen the integration of industrial chains and supply chains.
2. Promoting cultural exchanges and people-to-people exchanges
At the cultural level, China and the five South American countries have their own unique and charming cultural charms. China has a long history and splendid civilization. From the ancient Great Wall and the Forbidden City to the charming Peking Opera and tea ceremony, all of them exude the unique charm of oriental culture; Brazil's football culture, passionate samba dance, Argentina's tango, Chile's Easter Island culture, etc., also attract the attention of countless Chinese people. However, due to the long geographical distance and the cumbersome visa procedures in the past, the scale and depth of the people-to-people cultural exchanges between the two sides are limited. Today, the implementation of the visa-free policy is like building a "high-speed bridge for cultural exchanges" on both sides of the Pacific Ocean, which has greatly stimulated the enthusiasm of the people of both sides to understand and learn from each other. More South American people have the opportunity to come to China in person and experience the profoundness of Chinese culture; Chinese people can also communicate closely with visiting South American friends, enhance their cognition and understanding of South American culture, promote exchanges and mutual learning between different civilizations, and let diverse cultures bloom more brilliantly in exchanges.
3. Powerful evidence of warming diplomatic relations
The visa-free policy was announced during the Fourth Ministerial Meeting of the China-Latin America Forum. This is by no means accidental, but fully demonstrates China's high attention to the Latin American region. China has always adhered to the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, actively promoted the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, and carried out South-South cooperation with Latin American countries. As a strong bond added on the basis of existing friendly relations, the visa-free policy will further enhance China's influence in Latin America and inject new vitality into the healthy, stable and sustainable development of multilateral diplomatic relations. It sends a positive signal to the world: China always adheres to an open and inclusive attitude and is committed to working hand in hand with countries around the world to create a better future.
III. Impact and Outlook on All Parties
1. Impact on citizens of the five countries
For citizens of Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay, the visa-free policy has opened a new door for them, allowing them to explore China, an ancient and vibrant land, more conveniently. Whether it is business elites who frequently travel to seek more business opportunities, cultural enthusiasts who are eager to deeply experience the charm of traditional Chinese culture, or ordinary people who want to take a spontaneous trip, the visa-free policy provides them with unprecedented convenience. They can arrange their itineraries more freely, gain a deeper understanding of China's customs, economic development, and social changes, and personally experience China's hospitality and diverse charm.
2. Impact on China
From China's own perspective, the visa-free policy will attract more tourists, business people and exchange visitors from the five South American countries. In terms of tourism, it is expected to further promote the prosperity and development of China's inbound tourism market, promote the growth of tourism consumption, and drive the development of related industries; in the business field, it can strengthen cooperation and exchanges with enterprises in the five countries, attract more investment, and help Chinese companies implement the "going out" and "bringing in" strategies; in the fields of culture and education, it will promote the collision and exchange of different ideas, enrich China's cultural connotation, and enhance China's influence on the international cultural stage. At the same time, this will also further enhance China's international image and show China's style as an open, confident and inclusive country.
3. Future Outlook
The trial of the visa-free policy for Brazil and other five countries is another major breakthrough in China's visa facilitation process. Although it is currently a unilateral visa-free policy, with the deepening of exchanges and cooperation between the two sides, it is expected to achieve mutual benefit in more areas in the future, and even reach an agreement on mutual visa exemption. It can be foreseen that, driven by the visa-free policy, exchanges and cooperation between China and the five South American countries in various fields such as economy, culture, education, and science and technology will usher in a new situation of more vigorous development, and the friendship between the people of the two sides will continue to deepen in frequent exchanges, laying a solid foundation for building a closer and more harmonious China-Latin America community with a shared future. Let us look forward to this policy bearing more fruitful results in the future and contributing more positive forces to world peace and development.