Norway has become the first Scandinavian country to benefit from China’s visa-free scheme, which aims to boost tourism and encourage exchanges between Chinese and foreign nationals. Since January this year, China has gradually introduced this policy, extending visa-free access to citizens of 11 European countries and Malaysia, in addition to Poland, Australia, and New Zealand. While it’s unclear when the policy will be fully implemented for Norwegians, the scheme allows up to 15 days of visa-free entry. This initiative is part of China’s effort to revive international travel and attract foreign investment following the easing of strict pandemic measures. Despite improvements, international travel to China has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels, with the country recording 35.5 million foreign entries and exits in 2023, compared to 97.7 million in 2019.