Visa appointment service has seen improvement at Chinese embassies and consulates and China will continue to improve related policies, said a Foreign Ministry spokesperson at a press conference on Monday.

Chinese Foreign Ministry has launched a series of measures in collaboration with other government agencies to make sure that channels are smooth for foreigners traveling to China since early this year, said Wang Wenbin.

Following the decision to manage COVID-19 with measures against Class-B infectious diseases, the ministry has directed embassies and consulates to extend office hours, reduce materials required for visa application, increase staff and issuance of multiple-entry visas, exempt applicants temporarily from fingerprinting and improve the visa application form, so that the visa process can become more efficient, Wang said.

Green lanes are added for groups with important and urgent business or humanitarian affairs, he added.

Most Chinese embassies and consulates now provide visa appointments down to two working days in advance, according to Wang. There are also quite a few Chinese missions that no longer require an appointment for visa applications.

The number of visa issuance has gone up rapidly thanks to the measures, and more and more foreigners are coming to China.

Going forward, the Foreign Ministry will continue to improve visa policies, and actively create more favorable conditions for boosting cross-border travel to and from China, Wang said.