PETALING JAYA: China has agreed to extend visa exemption for Malaysian tourists from 15 to 30 days, said deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Zahid, who is on his first official visit to China since becoming the deputy prime minister, made the announcement during a luncheon hosted by Chinese vice-premier Ding Xuexiang in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of Malaysia-China diplomatic relations in Beijing today.
“During my meeting with premier Li Qiang yesterday, one of the issues raised was to extend the visa exemption period for Malaysian tourists travelling to China from 15 to 30 days,” Bernama quoted him as saying.
“I would like to announce that both countries have agreed (to this), and it will be implemented after an agreement is signed.”
Yesterday, Malaysia’s ambassador to China, Norman Muhamad, said Beijing had agreed to consider Zahid’s proposal and was expected to finalise discussions on the matter during home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail’s official visit to China on June 4.
Earlier this month, China’s ambassador to Malaysia, Ouyang Yujing, said visa-free travel to China for Malaysian citizens has been extended until the end of 2025.
The visa exemption was originally set to end on Nov 30.
In November 2023, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced a 30-day visa exemption for tourists from China and India starting Dec 1 of the same year.
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