STORY: Belgians welcome China's visa-free policy
SHOOTING TIME: March 8-10, 2024
DATELINE: March 12, 2024
LENGTH: 00:00:53
LOCATION: Brussels
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. SOUNDBITE 1 (French): ROLAND, Scientist
2. SOUNDBITE 2 (French): NADINE, Historian
3. SOUNDBITE 3 (French): CAROLINE, Teacher
4. SOUNDBITE 4 (French): KEVIN, Sports teacher

STORYLINE:

China has announced that it will adopt a visa-free policy for Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium and Luxembourg on a trial basis, starting March 14.

Many Belgian people have shown their expectations of travelling in China after the new policy takes effect.

SOUNDBITE 1 (French): ROLAND, Scientist
"I would be more interested in visiting big cities like Beijing and Shanghai. I'd like to travel to big cities with many technologies."

SOUNDBITE 2 (French): NADINE, Historian
"(I'd like to travel to) big cities. I think it must be quite impressive there, the whole country in general."

SOUNDBITE 3 (French): CAROLINE, Teacher
"I won't go to big cities, but rather small Chinese villages. Of course, I will also see big monuments, but I'm not interested in big megalopolises. I would prefer to visit the Chinese countryside."
   
SOUNDBITE 4 (French): KEVIN, Sports teacher
"I don't really know yet. Obviously, the Great Wall is better known. And it's true that it's a beautiful country, in terms of nature too. So I surely will see plenty of great things."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Brussels.
(XHTV)