China has issued a special multiple-entry “ASEAN visa” to business workers from the ten ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) member countries and ASEAN observer Timor-Leste.
ASEAN member states include Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia.
The “ASEAN visa” will be available to qualified visitors from the 11 Southeast Asian nations who are traveling to China for work, as well as their spouses and kids.
This visa permits up to 180 days of stay per entry during a five-year period.
With frequent visits between the people of China and Southeast Asian countries, the new scheme aims to “further facilitate cross-border travel in the region”, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said during a routine press conference.
The new “ASEAN visa” scheme comes on top of existing visa-free agreements that China has with countries in the region including Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia.
Singaporeans and Chinese citizens currently enjoy mutual visa-free travel arrangements for up to 30 days, under an agreement that took effect in February last year.
Travellers from Malaysia and Thailand also enjoy similar visa-free travel arrangements with China.
The “Lancang-Mekong visa” scheme, launched in November 2024, offers business travellers from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam five-year multiple-entry visas with a maximum stay of 180 days.
To attract more global tourists, China has ramped up visa-free travel arrangements with multiple countries.
Beijing has also recently rolled out visa-free access to all Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
