Starting November 30, visitors from 38 countries can stay in China visa-free for up to 30 days, doubling the previous limit of 15 days.

China announced on Friday its decision to expand visa-free entry to nine additional countries in an effort to boost tourism and business travel to

China will restart visa-free entry for Japanese nationals to facilitate business and tourism, responding to a longstanding request from Tokyo as both countries seek to shore up ties.

Each stay is for up to seven days, the official news agency said, with the multiple-entry visas valid for one year at a time. The announcement reinstates a multiple-entry policy from 2009 that was tightened in 2015 when China began allowing Shenzhen residents to go Hong Kong only once a week.