‘Shopping in China’ campaign touts easier visas and tax refunds to lure foreign spenders

China’s Ministry of Commerce used the Two Sessions news cycle to spotlight its year-old “Shopping in China” initiative, describing a package of measures designed to convert foreign visitor arrivals into retail sales. In an article published by China Daily Hong Kong on 9 March 2026, officials and experts said the programme couples expanded visa-free entry, streamlined transit-visa procedures and airport tax-refund upgrades with multilingual payment tools to position Chinese cities as global consumption hubs. Core to the pitch are unilateral 30-day visa waivers—now covering 50 countries—as well as an enlarged 240-hour visa-free-transit network that spans 65 air, sea and land ports. Foreign shoppers can reclaim value-added tax at nearly 13,000 outlets nationwide, a figure that rose 96 percent year-on-year in 2025. Analysts noted that inbound entries by foreign nationals jumped 26 percent to 82 million last year, with 6.57 million visitors arriving visa-free. Luxury group Tapestry and health-and-beauty retailer Watsons both announced major mainland expansion plans, citing the initiative’s lower market-entry barriers. From a mobility-management perspective, the policy mix makes short-notice buying trips and merchandising audits far easier to arrange. Retailers can rotate headquarters staff through tier-two sourcing cities without the administrative drag of L-class visas, while tax-back mechanisms improve total-trip cost competitiveness against rivals such as Dubai and Singapore. The government also plans more multilingual signage, e-payment interoperability and duty-free allowances at Hainan Free Trade Port—moves likely to benefit corporate incentive groups. Travel advisors caution that visa-free travellers must still register accommodation within 24 hours and may face spot checks on retail purchases exceeding duty-free limits. Nevertheless, the campaign underscores Beijing’s post-pandemic shift from export-led to consumption-driven growth and signals continued liberalisation of entry policies through 2026.