Foreign arrivals to China rose sharply in the first quarter of this year, underscoring the impact of the country's expanding visa-free policies and broader efforts to facilitate cross-border travel, the National Immigration Administration said on Friday.

China has decided to extend its visa waiver policy to ordinary passport holders from Canada and the United Kingdom starting Tuesday.

Skilled professionals will be able to enter China more flexibly.

China will adopt a visa-free entry policy for Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain.

The Taizhou Foreign Affairs Office has been offering a special visa service for foreign businesspeople who frequently visit the city for short-term business activities since Jan 14.

The National Immigration Administration announced today that it will fully relax and optimize the visa-free transit policy, which is effective immediately.

Beijing decided to give visa-free treatment to another nine countries to further encourage cross-border travel, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on Friday.

China has implemented a 24-hour visa-free transit policy for citizens of all other countries around the world at all its accessible exit-entry ports.