In an effort to promote tourism and business, China introduced a temporary visa-free policy for Malaysian citizens, effective from December 2023 until November 30, 2024.
However, the Malaysia China Welfare Advisory Society has urged the government for the permanent implementation of this policy between the two countries, VisaGuide.World reports.
The vice president of this organization, Teh Choon Jin, said that a visa-free policy would boost the tourism sector, among other things. He also noted that Malaysia experienced an increase in visitors following China’s temporary visa policy launched in December 2023.
Having a permanent visa-free policy will also significantly enhance bilateral relations and stimulate economic growth between our two countries.
Referring to recent data from the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation, Jin noted that trade between the two countries reached RM899 billion in 2023, making China Malaysia’s top trading ally for 15 years in a row.
By implementing it, Malaysia can enhance its appeal as an investment destination and facilitate more interactions between businessmen, investors and diplomats of both nations.
Supporting Jin’s proposal, Manoharan Periasamy, Tourism Malaysia’s Director-General, noted that Malaysia hosted 1.47 million Chinese tourists in 2023.
We are positive about getting over five million tourists from there because currently, we have 247 flights weekly between our two countries.
He also added that regarding seat capacity, there are nearly 4.9 million seats available from different places in China to Kuala Lumpur.
In addition, a Malaysian Chinese Tourism Association survey revealed over 80 percent of Chinese visitors expressed positive feelings about Malaysia.
China’s Visa-Free Policy Attracted Over 1,000 Malaysian Visitors on First Day
In December 2023, China implemented a visa-free policy for six countries including Malaysia, allowing the latter’s citizens to enter China for up to 15 days for business, tourism, family visits, and transit purposes.
Following the visa-free policy, China experienced a surge in the number of visitors. According to the National Immigration Administration, only from these six countries who were granted visa-free entry, the number of visitors that entered China on December 1, reached 2,029. Of those, more than 50 per cent or 1,113 were nationals of Malaysia.
Prior to China’s decision, in November 2023, Malaysia introduced a visa-free policy for Chinese citizens for stays up to 30 days. This measure will be in force until December 31, 2024.
In recent months, China has lifted and eased visa restrictions in several countries worldwide. Among other things, such initiatives have been taken in a bid to boost the country’s tourism, and to attract foreign talent and investment.