Chinese President Xi Jinping paid Malaysia a visit last week, which saw a few MOUs being signed. One of them turns out to be the extension of the visa-free period between the two countries. Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution announced that the visa-free period is being extended by five years.
The Star cites the minister as saying “we will continue this for five more years with the option to extend it for another five years after this period ends. This means that Chinese nationals entering the country as tourists can do so for 90 days (visa-free) with China also reciprocating”.
Back in 2023, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced the liberalisation of visas, and the visa-free year was taken as a trial. During this period, the Home Minister says that “it stimulated our economy at an immediate pace” following the increase in tourism. The report notes that the exemption was in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and China.
That being said, the deal is not exactly equal. For one, while Chinese tourists can visit Malaysia for up to 90 days, the opposite only applies for 15 days. Also, without the extension, the visa-free period for Malaysians visiting China would have ended on 31 December of this year, while Chinese tourists can continue visiting Malaysia until the same date next year.
(Source: The Star)
