China will introduce a one-year visa-free regime for citizens of six countries - France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Malaysia - starting December 1, 2023, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said on Friday, Global Times reported.

Residents of the said six countries holding ordinary passports can enter China without a visa and stay no more than 15 days for business travel, sightseeing, visiting family and friends, and transit.

German Ambassador to China Patricia Flor said in a microblog on social network X that German diplomatic missions in China welcomed the decision to offer German citizens a visa-free stay in China for up to 15 days starting in December.

Xu Xiaolei, marketing manager of China's CYTS Tours Holding, told the Global Times on Friday that the program could be "one of the biggest" in December and would lead to significant growth in the inbound tourism market.