Foreigners can head back into China

Here’s what else you need to know about China today:

Top story: China has been growing its influence in the Pacific Islands, but its diplomatic deals in the region hinge on Taiwan. Scroll down for a summary or click through for the whole thing.

China will resume issuing visas to foreign tourists tomorrow on March 15 for the first time since the COVID pandemic started three years ago. The Chinese embassy in the U.S. announced (in Chinese) the move yesterday, in a major shift to reopen the country since Beijing abruptly pivoted away from its COVID-zero policy late last year. It appears that 10-year multiple-entry visas issued to U.S. citizens before March 28, 2020, will be honored.

China warned that AUKUS is headed down a “wrong and dangerous path” after U.S. President Joe Biden announced plans to sell five nuclear-powered submarines to Australia. While the joint statement from the meeting between Australia, the U.K., and the U.S. — the members of the trilateral defense pact — did not explicitly mention China, the deal comes amid heightened concerns about Beijing’s growing military might and influence in the region.

Meanwhile, the U.K. called China an “epoch-defining challenge” to international order and warned of China’s tacit support for Russia’s war in Ukraine in an update of its foreign and defense policy, after British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged to increase military funding by 5 billion pounds ($6 billion) over the next two years.

Nepal wants better access to Chinese markets to reduce its growing trade deficit with Beijing. While India remains Nepal’s largest trading partner, China has grown to be another lucrative financier for key transport, trade, and transit deals.

The stock exchanges of Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Shenzhen increased their stock connect programmes by nearly 40%. In other positive news for the Chinese economy, wind power is off to a strong start in 2023, and a new survey suggests many Chinese companies are planning to hire new staff in the coming months. Click through for details in our daily Business Briefs from the Chinese Media.