China to Allow Canadians to Visit Visa-Free as Ottawa and Beijing Seek Closer Ties

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Feb 16, 2026 - 10:47 Updated: Feb 16, 2026 - 10:43
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China to Allow Canadians to Visit Visa-Free as Ottawa and Beijing Seek Closer Ties

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China says Canadian passport holders will be able to travel to China without needing a visa starting Feb. 17 for tourism and business stays of up to 30 days.

The announcement is the latest development in Ottawa and Beijing seeking closer ties, and it follows on the heels of the two countries launching a series of agreements to ease tariffs.

A spokesperson for China’s foreign affairs ministry says China will extend its visa waiver policy to Canadian passport holders “to further facilitate cross-border travel,” adding that the policy will be in effect until the end of this year. The policy will also apply to UK passport holders.

“Ordinary passport holders from the two countries can be exempted from visa to enter China and stay for up to 30 days for business, tourism, family/friends visit, exchange and transit purposes,” a spokesperson said.

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand confirmed the change in a Feb. 15 social media post, saying the new policy will make travel easier, support business exchanges, and strengthen “people-to-people ties” between Canada and China.

China has previously used travel restrictions as a pressure tactic. In 2023, Beijing left Canada off its list of approved destination countries for group tours when it eased pandemic travel restrictions, saying the move was due to remarks against China. At that time, the issue of Chinese interference in elections and meddling in Canada’s other democratic institutions was a subject of a public inquiry and media scrutiny.

As Ottawa began seeking closer ties with China late last year, the communist regime lifted this restriction on Canada, allowing group tour operators to resume travel to Canada in November.

The recent change in policy regarding visas also comes after Ottawa made several agreements with Beijing during Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to China in January.

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said on Jan. 16 that Carney welcomed Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s “commitment to introducing visa-free access for Canadians travelling to China.”

The PMO also said Ottawa and Beijing would “explore further opportunities for cultural exchanges and partnerships” to increase travel exchanges and cultural ties, including supporting museums, digital content creators, and visual artists. In a memorandum of understanding signed during the China trip, Destination Canada and China Media group agreed to “facilitate further outbound tourism to Canada, especially as we prepare to co-host the FIFA World Cup 26™,” the PMO said.

While China had dropped visa requirements for other Western countries in recent years amid efforts to boost tourism following the COVID-19 pandemic, Beijing maintained a visa requirement for Canadians and restricted the number of Chinese tourism groups that could visit Canada during years of strained relations between the two countries.

After Carney’s visit to China last month, the prime minster said Ottawa and Beijing had entered a “strategic partnership,” with relations between the two countries entering “a new era.” He also said the progress made in the relationship “sets us up well for the new world order.”
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These comments were met with criticism by the Conservatives and China watchers. Tory Leader Pierre Poilievre said the federal government must explain how its tone on China has changed so drastically, as Carney said less than a year ago, during the 2025 election campaign, that China was Canada’s “biggest security threat.” Conservative MP Shuvaloy Majumdar said Canada “does not belong in Beijing’s ‘New World Order.’”
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Human rights and democracy groups have also raised concerns about Canada getting closer to China, saying that human rights violations by the Chinese regime have intensified and that human rights need to be at the forefront of Ottawa’s relationship with Beijing.
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As well, the U.S. administration has criticized Ottawa’s move to strengthen ties with Beijing, with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick saying that it may jeopardize the review of the United States-Canada-Mexico Agreement set for later this year.
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