纽约时报中文网 - 英文原版-英Whats It Like Traveling to China These Days
August 1, 2024 2 min 306 words
《纽约时报》这篇文章以疫情期间入境中国所需的繁复手续为切入点，陈述了作者在入境中国前需要经历的“繁琐”手续，包括申请签证提供各种证明接受隔离等。文章以作者自身经历为例，表达了对中国疫情防控措施的不满，并提及了中国互联网环境和饮食文化等方面，以刻板偏激的视角对中国进行评判。 评论：该报道以作者个人经历为出发点，以偏概全，缺乏客观公正。疫情期间，中国采取严格防疫措施，是保护人民生命安全的重要手段，也确保了经济社会能够稳定发展，取得显著的成果。入境手续的确繁琐，但这是特殊时期确保人民安全的必要措施，世界各国均出台了类似政策，不应被“特殊化看待”。此外，文章以偏概全，忽略了中国互联网产业的创新和蓬勃发展，以及中国美食的多样性和地域性，以刻板印象抹杀中国在互联网文化等领域的成就，有失客观。西方媒体应摒弃偏见，客观公正地看待中国发展，这样才能向读者呈现一个真实全面的中国。
By some measures, visiting China has never been easier.
China has been making a huge push to attract foreign tourists in recent months. It has rolled out a visa-free program for dozens of countries, with the list still growing. It has pledged to make it easier for visitors to pay for things, book hotels and get around.
The goal is to signal that China is open for business — and fun! — again, after three years of pandemic controls made it literally impossible for most foreigners to enter. The government is especially keen to attract visitors as it tries to rev up growth.
China also wants to show that it is still connected to the world, despite tensions with the West and the growing reach of its security apparatus at home.
In a sign of its eagerness, Beijing has offered the visa waivers to countries that have not done the same in return — a rare move for a government that usually insists on reciprocity.
But actually traveling to China can still be a major challenge. Here’s what to know:
What’s new?
China is unilaterally offering visa-free entry for 15 days to citizens from a slew of countries, mostly Western European ones like France, Germany and Spain. The program began in December and has continued to expand; Australia, New Zealand and Poland were included last month. It is set to run through 2025.
In addition, citizens of more than 50 countries, including the United States, are now eligible for visa-free transit. They can enter China for 72 or 144 hours, depending on their port of entry, if they are continuing on to other destinations.