Originally Posted by
uanj
Totally agree, Every week I have people asking me if it is safe to go to China for business and if China has started searching electronic devices when entering the country. Some companies are paranoid about security, they are not allowing company devices to be carried into the country. You have to take a temporary phone and clean loaner laptop. It sounds ridiculous, but their view is the risk of losing millions of dollars of research is not worth it.
Given the pain factor of traveling with under these kinds of corporate policies, people just avoid it. Think about it, how would you do a trip to Singapore, China and Japan if your company has such a policy? (@moondog I know you understand these issues, I am just putting it out there for anyone reading this.
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China has been pushing the 72-144 hour transit schemes. I have not read anywhere about the quality of international arrivals but I would suspect the spending is down even more than the number of arrivals. The fact that this information has not been released is an indication it is not good. And the fact that China has seen the need to increase the number of countries with visa-free entry is also an indication things are not going as well as planned.
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My personal view is China re-engaging with the world is a very positive step. But there is a long road ahead. I am hopeful for the long term.
This conversation got me thinking about some of the more engaging threads we've had here since 2020 (most recent first simply because that's the order in which I grabbed them):
Opinion: without Alipay and Wechat Pay, you are screwed in Shanghai
Foreign Tourism
Reflections of China during 2022 Q2
Quarantine tips
citizen unable to leave China
Connecting In China / Quarantine
Some observations:
- Thread participants are pretty much the same throughout (perhaps part of this is to due to the fact that we aren't the most inviting group on FT, but I'm pretty sure lack of interest is the main reason).
- Even those us that generally defend China acknowledged that things weren't so great...when things weren't so great. Outside of FT, we also got used to fielding calls from friends/family outside of China who were generally amazed why we chose to stick it out.
- Each of us seems to know at least 5 Chinese nationals and 5 expats who threw in the towel (a little surprising in some cases because we're talking strong ties and advanced careers).
- When they left, they certainly weren't inclined to evangelize in the manner that was common during the 2000s and early 2010s (this is an understatement, of course; I'm trying to be gentle).
- Things have gotten A LOT better since early 2023.
- The thing is, they can't really erase the past, and new evangelists who hail from other countries don't really exist (this is partly a result of the self-sufficiency initiatives that have been remarkably effective).
All that having been said, China is still kind of cool, and I fully expect to see more initiatives aimed at reigniting inbound tourism...the people who pushed for the visa waiver pilots will call them a success and ask for additional runway (this is just my prediction).
ETA: I wanted explicitly agree with you on this point because I think it warrants special attention.
Originally Posted by
uanj
As for FX rates, China is not expensive. Domestic airfares and hotels are a bargain compared to most places so I don't see this as a factor. We are paying USD 108 for flights on major Chinese airlines between PVG and TPE, that's crazy cheap. As for tourism, China has tarnished its reputation as a place people would like to go to and learn more about, that's all there is to it. For those with business connections or family and long term friends, travel with continue. Albeit at a somewhat lower level.
It's sort of common knowledge that rents, including hotel rates, in China are cheap relative to real estate "value", but less obvious is that China is an extremely affordable place in general. I've noticed this contrast because I've been spending a lot of time in (an inexpensive part of) the US this year; the difference is staggering.