Philippines to resume eVisa for Chinese

MANILA, Philippines —  Despite recent acts of aggression at sea by the Chinese, the Philippines will resume its eVisa program for Chinese nationals next month as part of facilitating trade and tourism, the Philippine embassy in Beijing announced yesterday.

Ambassador Jaime FlorCruz said the embassy, and the Philippine consulates in  Chongqing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Macau, Shanghai and Xiamen, will begin issuing electronic visas to qualified applicants residing in mainland China and in Special Administrative Regions.

Chinese applicants who will visit the Philippines for tourism or business purposes may apply for eVisa if they are traveling for a non-extendable period of 14 days.

They should enter through the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Metro Manila or through the Mactan-Cebu International Airport.

The embassy will soon provide more details about the eVisa, including the relevant websites and procedures for the submission of requirements, in collaboration with the Department of Information and Communications   Technology (DICT) and VFS Global in China.

FlorCruz signed yesterday a Memorandum of Agreement with VFS Global to implement the eVisa program.

Chinese travelers and other eligible nationals living in China who wish to stay in the Philippines for more than 14 days may still apply for the conventional visa through the nearest Visa Application Centers that will open in Beijing, Chongqing, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Shanghai.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) met with the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in July for joint consular consultations.

China continues to be a major source of tourists for the region.

First launched and tested in Manila in 2023, the eVisa is expected not only to enhance the efficiency of daily consular operations but also to significantly improve the delivery of services to the public.

Defiance

This development came even as the Philippines continues to protest China’s bullying in the West Philippine Sea, the latest of which was in the vicinity of Pag-asa island where its coast guard ship blasted a Philippine vessel with water cannon.

The DFA filed a diplomatic protest against China over the incident.

Foreign Affairs spokesperson Angelica Escalona said the latest filing was on top of the 47 protests filed against Beijing as of Oct. 8.

“We will not be silenced, we will not be intimidated and we will never turn away from our duty to defend the Filipino people’s rights and the nation’s dignity,” National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said.

He said the National Task Force-WPS, which he also chairs, “will sustain and strengthen our transparency policy. We will continue to shine light on every illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive activity in our waters.”

Año welcomed the results of the latest Pulse Asia survey showing Filipinos’ strong confidence in the government’s policy of transparency and resolute defense of Philippine sovereignty.

“We thank the Filipino people for their trust in the NTF-WPS and its member agencies, particularly the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), the Philippine Navy and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, all of whom gained high trust ratings from the public,” he said.

Año noted that 41 percent of survey respondents identified the PCG as the most trustworthy government agency for updates and reports concerning the WPS. –  Michael Punongbayan, Ghio Ong