An agreement between Denmark and China on visa-free entry for Danish citizens is now in place. China is the largest market for Danish shipping, so visa-free access is a significant help, making trade and travel activities easier for Danish shipping companies.

Earlier this year, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen met his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, at the UN General Assembly in New York. During this meeting, the Chinese foreign minister announced that China would implement visa-free travel for Danish citizens visiting China. In response, Lars Løkke Rasmussen expressed his delight at the initiative and its potential to significantly enhance cooperation between the two countries.

The agreement has now been finalised. The Chinese embassy in Denmark states: “From 8 November 2024 to 31 December 2025, Danish passport holders can travel to China visa-free for up to 15 days for the following purposes: business trips, tourism, family visits, or transit.”

“It’s really good news for Danish shipping companies that it’s now possible to travel to China without a visa. China is our largest market. Chinese products are transported worldwide on a large scale, and there is substantial activity in shipbuilding at Chinese shipyards and in the production of green fuels. Visa-free entry makes it easier to visit clients and shipyards in China, and generally makes trade between our two countries easier,” says Anne H. Steffensen, CEO of Danish Shipping.

It is of great value for Danish companies that we have a government and a foreign service that looks after Danish business interests worldwide – and of course, especially in our most important markets.

Anne H. Steffensen, CEO of Danish Shipping

China is the largest market for Danish shipping companies. Last year, 14% of the shipping companies’ exports went to China. Additionally, a significant part of the new ships ordered by Danish shipping companies is built at shipyards in China.

“I’m very pleased that Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, in collaboration with his Chinese colleague, has secured this agreement. It is of great value for Danish companies that we have a government and a foreign service that looks after Danish business interests worldwide – and of course, especially in our most important markets. This agreement helps to strengthen the already good relations between Denmark and China,” says Anne H. Steffensen.

Danish Shipping naturally hopes that the arrangement, initially valid until the end of 2025, will become permanent.

The picture of Minister of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs, Morten Bødskov, and Danish Shipping’s CEO, Anne H. Steffensen, was taken in connection with a Danish business delegation to China in December 2023 that, among other things, visited the world’s largest container terminal outside Shanghai.