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BEIJING (Reuters) -China will extend its visa-free entry policy for 45 countries including France, Germany and Spain to December 31, 2026 and expand the scheme to cover Sweden, effective November 10, the foreign ministry said on Monday.

The extension covers 32 European countries as well as Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and several nations in South America and the Gulf region, a statement released by the foreign ministry's consular affairs department showed.

The policy was scheduled to expire at the end of this year for many of the countries.

China has offered visa-free entry to citizens from dozens of countries in recent years as part of efforts to woo foreign visitors, revive a tourism sector battered by years of strict COVID-19 controls, and boost foreign engagement.

The United States, Canada and Britain are not part of the scheme.

Under it, visitors from eligible countries can enter China for business, tourism, family visits, or transit for up to 30 days without a visa.

China is also expanding its outreach to the European Union, a key trading partner, at a time of fraught trade ties.

Beijing confirmed that its one-year suspension of expanded rare earth export controls, announced after a meeting between President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump in South Korea last week, will also apply to the EU, the bloc said after officials met in Brussels last week to alleviate tensions.

The two sides agreed to continue communication and exchanges to promote the stability and smooth operation of China-EU industrial and supply chains, Beijing's commerce ministry said on Monday.

(Reporting by Xiuhao Chen, Liz Lee and Ethan Wang; Editing by Kim Coghill, Emelia Sithole-Matarise and Mark Heinrich)