PETALING JAYA: Malaysia should respond in kind by extending the visa waiver for tourists from China, said Datuk Tan Teik Cheng.
"As the chairman of the PRC Affairs and Belt and Road Initiative Committee, I urge the Malaysian government to reciprocate by extending the visa waiver for tourists from China intending to visit Malaysia," he said in a Facebook post on Wednesday (May 8).
Tan, who was also the MCA vice-president, said the visa extension was not merely a reciprocal move towards the goodwill gesture by China but one that would bring significant benefits to both countries.
He noted that such a move could help expand the goodwill shared between both nations while adding to the celebratory mood of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Malaysia and China.
On Tuesday (May 7), Chinese ambassador to Malaysia Ouyang Yujing, announced visa-free travel to China for Malaysian citizens would be extended until the end of 2025.
Ouyang pointed out that Chinese President Xi Jinping, who was on a visit to France, had announced on Monday (May 6) that the visa-free policy for citizens from 12 countries, including Malaysia, to enter China would be extended until the end of 2025.
The 15-day visa-free policy applies to Malaysian citizens holding ordinary passports to go to China for business, tourism, family visits and transit purposes.
This visa-free privilege was first announced by China on Nov 24 last year. Prior to this latest announcement, the visa-free policy was enforced from Dec 1, 2023 to Nov 30, 2024.
Malaysia was one of the top destinations for Chinese tourists and had seen a substantial increase of 53.9% in arrivals compared to the previous year.
During the recent festive season, it was estimated that 100,000 Chinese tourists visited the country resulting in economic gains of between RM10bil and RM15bil for the nation.
