More than 15 million Americans are estimated to travel to Europe each year, while some 10 million Europeans head across the Atlantic.
The EU said China is subject to confirmation of reciprocity, meaning it must lift all restrictions on European citizens entering China before it will allow Chinese citizens back in.
Countries considered for the safe list are also expected to lift any bans they might have in place on European travelers.
European Union countries hastily slapped restrictions on who could cross their borders in February as the virus spread in Italy.
The EU list does not apply to travel to Britain, which left the EU in January.