PVG was surprisingly fast last week - they don't even bother asking any questions to confirm what you write on the card anymore. In fact, I don't think a single word was exchanged with the lady as the machine was asking me to check my fingerprints. Plane was probably about half foreigners and half Chinese, most foreigners seemed to be transferring though.

China expands visa-free to more countries, including Japan. All visa-free countries upgraded to 30 days per stay.

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/ar...ther-countries

Great news....TERRIBLE headline:

China Expands Visa-Free Access to Japan, Bulgaria and Other Countries

:rolleyes:

The South China Morning Post just reported that China will offer 10 day visa free transit to all international travelers, including the U.S., in certain areas of the country. Details to follow.

It looks like it's simply an extension of the existing 144-hour TWOV to an even 10.days.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202412/1325213.shtml

Sticking with 7 days but phasing out the zones and exceptions would have been a much more meaningful change IMO (would make the TWOV thread less interesting, though).

Well, the official announcement lists the 24 TWOV regions and then states:

"通过过境免签政策来华的外国人可在上述24个省（区、市）允许停留活动区域内跨省域旅行."

That is, travel within all 24 TWOV regions is permitted.

It does look like this is the case because the chart no longer shows expanded regions for Beijing and Shanghai.

Note too that the entry points and TWOV regions have been expanded a bit.

https://www.nia.gov.cn/n897453/c1688948/content.html

This has some significance:

-- The "no stops in China" rule for flights is gone, so long as every stop is in one of the TWOV zones.

-- Previously forbidden itineraries are now open. For example, fly into Beijing from the U.S. with a train ticket Shenzhen to Hong Kong 10 days later.

So finally we can combine Chengdu/Sichuan and Chongqing in the same TWOV itinerary?

Maybe this will help inject some life back into the junket business (e.g. they can market Beijing-Shanghai-HK tours without the visa hurdle).

As to Chengdu and Chongqing transit, yes, but with the caveat that only 11 Sichuan cities are part of the TWOV region.

They simultaneously made it much easier and much more complicated all at the same time! :)

I'm trying to work out whether trains moving between Beijing and Xi'an and then between Xi'an and Chengdu are against the TWOV rules (flying into Beijing and then out of Chendu to different countries). I think from looking at the maps, the train does pass through non-TWOV areas (of Sichuan for sure, I'm less clear on the Beijing - Xi'an part which I've seen lots of people say is OK as an itinerary). But we will only be alighting in cities approved for TWOV. Do you have any insight on that? There's little evidence on it given the recency of these changes! Thank you.

There are a small number of trains between Beijing and Xi'an that pass through non-TWOV parts of Shanxi. Just look for the HSR trains heading via Zhengzhou and you'll have no TWOV worries.

Thank you.