STORY: Spanish businessman welcomes China's visa-free policy
SHOOTING TIME: Jan. 29, 2024
DATELINE: Jan. 30, 2024
LENGTH: 00:00:59
LOCATION: BARCELONA, Spain
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. SOUNDBITE (Catalan): MARIN ORRIOLS, Spanish businessman and CEO of China-Europe Consultants
2. various of Marin Orriols in interview

STORYLINE:

China's recent visa-free policy for many countries has been hailed by Marin Orriols, a Spanish businessman and CEO of China-Europe Consultants.

Orriols, who has been doing business in China for 20 years, on Monday talked about his first experience of traveling to China since the visa-free policy was unveiled last year.

The Barcelona-based businessman explained that his first visa-free trip to China was in January, when he went to Guangdong Province to visit the cities of Shenzhen and Guangzhou, and he described the experience as "gratifying."

SOUNDBITE (Catalan): MARIN ORRIOLS, Spanish businessman and CEO of China-Europe Consultants
"For business people who often need flexibility when it comes to traveling, this initiative is a big change for better.
When arrived at Shenzhen airport, you obviously had to go through passport control. But now you can pass more quickly because you no longer have to show your visa.
It not only makes it easier for people from different countries to do business with China, but it also makes it easier for tourists and attracts them in a way which is agiler, easier and less costly."

China is implementing a unilateral visa-free policy for ordinary passport holders from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia on a trial basis. From Dec. 1, 2023, to Nov. 30, 2024, holders of ordinary passports from these six countries may enter China visa-free for business, tourism, visiting relatives and friends and transit for no more than 15 days.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Barcelona, Spain.
(XHTV)