Turkey suddenly announced visa-free entry for China, which caught the Chinese side a bit off guard. What exactly happened behind the scenes?
At midnight on December 31st, as most people around the world were preparing to welcome the New Year's bell, Turkey suddenly announced that starting from January 2, 2026, holders of ordinary Chinese passports would be granted visa-free entry.
As soon as the news broke, Chinese travel platforms reacted quickly — within just one day, the search volume for flights to Istanbul and Cappadocia surged 3.2 times, and free travel orders increased dramatically. The 9-day Spring Festival holiday combined with the visa-free benefit made this ancient country spanning Europe and Asia suddenly become a new favorite for Chinese outbound tourism.
However, surprisingly, the Chinese side had almost no public statement about it. From a procedural perspective, this was a typical unilateral action.
So why did Turkey choose to "suddenly" announce visa-free entry for China at this time?
In 2024, the number of Chinese tourists to Turkey accounted for only 0.78% of its total foreign tourists, indicating huge potential. At the same time, the Asian markets of Japan and South Korea experienced fluctuations due to tense Sino-Japanese relations, with many Chinese tourists originally planning to go to Japan now seeking alternative destinations.
Turkey keenly captured this window period. By removing the visa requirement, it directly tapped into China's massive outbound tourism spending power. Data shows that Chinese tourists have long ranked among the highest in global overseas consumption, providing a considerable boost to Turkey's tourism, hotel, and transportation industries.
2026 marks the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Turkey. By offering a visa-free "olive branch" at this time, Turkey can create a friendly atmosphere for future cooperation while reinforcing its strategic value as an Eurasian hub. Notably, Turkey has maintained a significant trade deficit with China in recent years — in 2024, its exports to China were less than one-third of its imports. By expanding service trade (especially tourism revenue), it can alleviate this structural imbalance to some extent.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1853170109863943/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.