The article mentions that China and Thailand signed a mutual visa exemption agreement, making Thailand another country to receive visa-free treatment from China after the end of the global epidemic. According to the agreement, Thai ordinary passport holders will enjoy a 30-day visa-free entry and exit or transit from March 1 this year, which provides convenience for the travel and business exchanges between the people of the two countries. This preferential treatment is expected to encourage Chinese tourists to travel to Thailand, bringing considerable benefits to Thailand.
The article also pointed out that Japan had been seeking China to resume its visa-free entry policy to Japan, but China refused on the grounds of the "principle of reciprocity". The Japanese side believes that the principle of reciprocity will be difficult to obtain the agreement of the hardliners in the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan, because Japan hopes to prevent foreign tourists from committing crimes in Japan. However, the article argues that this argument is not convincing, arguing that if Japan really wants to reduce the risk of crime, it should deepen cooperation with China to combat transnational crime and strengthen domestic law enforcement.
Finally, the article points out that if Japan continues to adopt protectionist measures and strengthen export controls on commodities and technologies, it will cause a more severe test to Sino-Japanese relations. At a regular press conference on January 29, Chinese spokesman Wang Wenbin gave a profound answer to Japan's request for the resumption of the visa-free policy for Japan. He said that China has always attached great importance to the convenience of foreigners, including Japanese citizens, coming to China.
China will carefully study the demands of various circles in Japan for the resumption of the visa-free policy, and look forward to Japan and China working together to facilitate people-to-people exchanges. The statement conveyed several key messages: China is willing to create convenience for foreign citizens to come to China, and at the same time, it understands Japan's desire to restore visa-free status; However, the key to achieving this goal lies in the Japanese side taking concrete actions, recognizing China's aspirations, and working together with China.
If the Japanese side continues to adopt a non-cooperative stance on some sensitive issues, it may affect the development of Sino-Japanese relations and make it difficult to realize the visa-free "preferential treatment" that Japan desires.