China-Britain Business Council (CBBC) Chair Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, together with a delegation of 11 British companies, met with Premier Li Qiang at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing yesterday.
Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, Chair, CBBC, and Senior Advisor, HSBC, is visiting China as part of a week-long programme including celebrating CBBC’s 70-year anniversary since founding.
Premier Li congratulated the CBBC on its 70th anniversary, and expressed appreciation for the organization’s commitment to promoting China-UK ties, its historic ice-breaking role for bilateral trade, and its role as a bridge of communication and dialogue between the two countries.
Li expressed hope that the CBBC and the British business community will inherit and carry forward the ice-breaking spirit, and act as the conveyor of China-UK friendship, the promoter of mutually beneficial cooperation, and the defender of stable and smooth industrial and supply chains to continue contributing to the development of China-UK relations.
Cowper-Coles said the CBBC supports China in promoting reform and opening up and pursuing high-quality development. The organization is willing to continue to play a bridging role and make positive contributions to promoting the development of UK-China relations and deepening bilateral cooperation, he added.
Also in attendance were Gordon Orr, Vice Chair, CBBC, Peter Burnett, Head of Corporate Finance (Greater China & North Asia) Standard Chartered Bank and incoming Chief Executive at CBBC as well as senior executives from member companies including AstraZeneca, bp, Clifford Chance, Cranswick, Haleon, IHG, JLR, Prudential, and Schroders.
China announced Visa-Free entry for foreign tourist groups traveling by cruises
It was also according to announcement by China National Immigration Administration, following the approval by the State Council, has decided to implement a visa-free entry policy for foreign tourist groups traveling to China’s coastal provinces by cruise ships. The announcement is detailed below:
Effective immediately, any foreign tourist group consisting of two individuals or more arriving on a cruise ship for a trip organized and handled by a Chinese travel agency may enter as a whole into China without visas at one of the cruise ports located in the 13 following cities: Tianjin, Dalian (Liaoning Province), Shanghai, Lianyungang (Jiangsu Province), Wenzhou and Zhoushan (Zhejiang Province), Xiamen (Fujian Province), Qingdao (Shandong Province), Guangzhou and Shenzhen (Guangdong Province), Beihai (Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region), and Haikou and Sanya (Hainan Province). All foreign tourist groups under this circumstance are obliged to continue their journey to the next scheduled port and depart from China by the same cruise ship as scheduled. Visitors may remain in China for a maximum of 15 days. In addition, foreign tourist groups are permitted to travel within the coastal provinces (including autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government) and Beijing.
To promote cruise tourism, China has expanded the coverage of its visa-free transit policy to include seven new cruise ports located in Dalian, Lianyungang, Wenzhou, Zhoushan, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Beihai, streamlining the transit process for eligible foreign passengers by cruise ships.