China has optimized visa application forms for foreigners traveling to the country, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Wednesday.

Mao told a news briefing that the optimization involves seven major items and 15 sub-items, which are mainly related to the applicant's educational background, family members' information, past travel experience, etc.

The textual content of the application forms will be considerably reduced, she said, adding that for example, the coverage of "past travel experience" is cut from five years to one year, and "educational background" only entails the applicant's highest degree, and applicants will spend much less time filling in the forms and expect a more streamlined visa application process.

Noting that the new version of the visa application forms was launched on September 20, 2023, Mao said the Foreign Ministry will, as always, facilitate people-to-people exchanges between China and foreign countries to promote China's high-quality development and opening-up endeavor.