Since July 2024, holders of New Zealand passports have been able to enter China for up to 15 days without a visa for travel, business, tourism, visiting family and friends, and transit. After the policy was announced in June, searches by New Zealanders for China-related keywords, in 30 minutes, increased by 65 percent from the previous day on online travel agency Trip.com.

John Key, former prime minister of New Zealand, recently visited China and spoke with CGTN's Shen Shiwei. "There are a million different things to see in China. I think no one can see it all on one trip," he said. He also praised China's visa-free policy and the increased number of direct flights between the two countries, noting that "China is our second-largest source of tourists."