By Danial Dzulkifly
PUTRAJAYA, Nov 26 — In a move to strengthen cultural and trade ties, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has announced a visa-free travel policy for tourists from India and China.
The policy, effective from December, will allow visitors from the two countries to stay in Malaysia for up to 30 days without a visa.
He said the initiative is part of Malaysia’s broader strategy to boost tourism and foster closer relationships with the said countries.
“We are extending a 30-day visa-free facility to India and China, starting December 1,” he said during his winding-up speech at Parti Keadilan Rakyat (Keadilan) National Congress 2023 held at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre, here today.
Anwar explained that the visa free policy would also commemorate the 50-year celebration of Malaysia-China diplomatic relations next year.
The announcement follows a recent update from the Chinese Embassy in Malaysia, which declared that Malaysian citizens can enjoy a 15-day visa-free travel to China starting December 1.
The policy will be effective for one year, until November 30, 2024.
The Chinese Embassy in a statement on Friday said that the visa-free travel, which is to further promote people-to-people exchanges between China and Malaysia, is offered to Malaysian citizens holding ordinary passports who enter China for business, tourism, family visits, and transit purposes.
It added that visitors extending their stay beyond 15 days must apply for visas.
A correction was made on November 26, 2023: An earlier version of this article misstated that the 30-day visa-free travel also applies to the Arab states. The policy is already offered to the Arab states, such as Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Iraq and Iran, as well as West Asian countries Turkiye and Jordan. Eight Asean nations also enjoy this facility.
