diff --git a/scripts/qapi/common.py b/scripts/qapi/common.py
index 4b53f08627..8b6708dbf1 100644
--- a/scripts/qapi/common.py
+++ b/scripts/qapi/common.py
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import errno
 import os
 import re
 import string
+import sys
 from collections import OrderedDict
 
 builtin_types = {
@@ -340,7 +341,10 @@ class QAPISchemaParser(object):
             return None
 
         try:
-            fobj = open(incl_fname, 'r')
+            if sys.version_info[0] >= 3:
+                fobj = open(incl_fname, 'r', encoding='utf-8')
+            else:
+                fobj = open(incl_fname, 'r')
         except IOError as e:
             raise QAPISemError(info, '%s: %s' % (e.strerror, incl_fname))
         return QAPISchemaParser(fobj, previously_included, info)
@@ -1493,7 +1497,11 @@ class QAPISchemaEvent(QAPISchemaEntity):
 class QAPISchema(object):
     def __init__(self, fname):
         self._fname = fname
-        parser = QAPISchemaParser(open(fname, 'r'))
+        if sys.version_info[0] >= 3:
+            f = open(fname, 'r', encoding='utf-8')
+        else:
+            f = open(fname, 'r')
+        parser = QAPISchemaParser(f)
         exprs = check_exprs(parser.exprs)
         self.docs = parser.docs
         self._entity_list = []
@@ -2007,7 +2015,10 @@ class QAPIGen(object):
                 if e.errno != errno.EEXIST:
                     raise
         fd = os.open(pathname, os.O_RDWR | os.O_CREAT, 0o666)
-        f = os.fdopen(fd, 'r+')
+        if sys.version_info[0] >= 3:
+            f = open(fd, 'r+', encoding='utf-8')
+        else:
+            f = os.fdopen(fd, 'r+')
         text = (self._top(fname) + self._preamble + self._body
                 + self._bottom(fname))
         oldtext = f.read(len(text) + 1)