(Reuters) – China will begin re-issuing various categories of visas to foreigners from March 15, the Chinese embassy in the United States said on Monday, as the country continues to reopen its borders three years after the spread of the coronavirus. containment measures.

China will also lift visa restrictions for various locations, including Hainan Island, and cruise ships passing through Shanghai port, the embassy said in a statement.

The embassy said visa-free entry into Guangdong for foreigners from Hong Kong and Macao will also resume.

China, which scrapped its COVID-19 policy in December and opened its borders a month later, has seen a sharp increase in travel over the past two months.

The country’s leaders had signaled victory over the latest wave of COVID-19 that had swept the country for months.

New Premier Li Qiang said on Monday that it took China less than two months to achieve a “smooth transition” in its response to COVID-19 and that the country’s strategies and measures were just right.

Additional reporting by Kanjik Ghosh in Bengaluru and Bernard Orr in Beijing; Editing by Leslie Adler and Christopher Cushing

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