Int'l tourists commend shopping experiences in Shanghai

International tourists traveling to Shanghai, one of the most popular inbound travel destinations in China, have spoken highly of their experiences with the country's multiple preferential measures including visa-free and tax refund policies.

In Shanghai's downtown area of Huangpu District, the Tianzifang neighborhood attracts visitors from around the world. The vibrant streets, adorned with colorful decorations and lined with boutique shops, offer a glimpse of old Shanghai life and a wide range of unique souvenirs, attracting the attention of international consumers.

Since the introduction of the "buy and refund" departure tax refund service in April, many foreigners have been flocking to China in groups for shopping.

"We want shopping here. We'll buy silk scarves and other tourists' souvenirs. We were here nine years ago, I saw a change from nine years ago, and without visas, it is much easier for us to travel here," said Petra Gruen, a tourist from Germany.

"Made in China" electronics including mobile phones and computers are also on the shopping lists of foreign visitors.

"Actually, here you can find every technology that you want. You can find a lot of things that you will never imagine. So, I believe that it's really good for the foreigners to come here to Shanghai," said Sergio Rendon, a tourist from Mexico.

Shanghai has seen a significant increase in the number of inbound foreign tourist visits since the entry into effect of the country's latest 240-hour visa-free transit policy at the end of last year. The city received over 1.743 million tourist visits in the first three months of this year, marking a 37.1 percent year-on-year growth, according to the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism.

Currently, China grants unilateral visa-free entry to 38 countries and has extended the transit visa-free period to 240 hours for travelers from 54 countries.

China has also introduced a new policy recently that enables foreign visitors to claim departure tax refunds for purchases as low as 200 yuan (about 27.5 U.S. dollars) per day at the same store, significantly reducing the previous threshold of 500 yuan (68.8 U.S. dollars).

As one of the pilot cities for the "buy and refund" departure tax refund policy, Shanghai currently has 587 departure tax refund shops, with 284 offering instant tax refunds.

Int'l tourists commend shopping experiences in Shanghai

The 32nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting concluded in east China's Suzhou on Saturday, yielding fruitful results and laying significant groundwork for the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in November.

The trade ministers' meeting focused on "building an open and predictable regional and multilateral economic and trade order" and "fostering new engines of innovative and dynamic trade and investment cooperation."

Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao briefed the media on the meeting's outcomes at a press conference.

Wang said the meeting issued a joint statement titled the Suzhou Statement, and approved the latest edition of the APEC Roadmap for Innovative, Competitive and Resilient Services.

All parties agreed to advance policy innovation and reform in services trade, build an open and predictable investment environment, improve regional trade facilitation and supply chain resilience, strengthen standards coordination, and enhance intellectual property protection, Wang told the media.

He also said that substantial progress was made on a framework document for regional digital trade cooperation and the ministers emphasized promoting inclusive AI development, strengthening AI-related trade, and bridging the digital divide to ensure shared benefits from digital transformation.

The minister noted that the outcomes of the meeting demonstrated strong cooperation willingness, highlighted an innovation-oriented approach, and reflected inclusiveness and shared benefits. "The fact that Asia-Pacific economies can come together, uphold the original aspiration of promoting trade and investment liberalization and facilitation while supporting economic growth and prosperity, and engage in in-depth discussions on the important issue of 'where multilateral and regional economic and trade cooperation is headed,' fully demonstrates that open regionalism and true multilateralism enjoy broad support, and that mutual success and shared development serve the fundamental interests of all economies," Wang said.

2026 APEC trade ministers' meeting concludes with fruitful results