Thailand seeks visa exemptions for its tourists travelling to China

Thailand’s government is seeking visa exemptions for Thai tourists travelling to China, with an official delegation planned to negotiate the details by the end of this month.

Foreign Affairs Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara revealed this yesterday, December 7, following a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The discussion took place on the fringes of the 8th Mekong-Lancang Cooperation Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Beijing.

The possibility of visa exemptions for ordinary Thai passport holders was the main topic of discussion. The Chinese Foreign Minister has shown support for this idea. A working panel is slated to travel to China to further negotiate the matter with the relevant authorities.

Parnpree, however, cautioned individuals against exploiting the proposed visa-free status to overstay or work illegally in China. Such actions could lead to the revocation of the visa exemption and negatively impact Thailand’s reputation.

Recently, Thailand initiated a visa exemption scheme for Chinese and Kazakh passport holders, permitting them to stay in the country for up to 30 days. This scheme, in effect from September 25 to February 29 next year, is part of Thailand’s efforts to boost its tourism industry and foster closer people-to-people connections, thereby enhancing bilateral relations.

China, on its part, announced last month that from December 1 until November 30 next year, ordinary passport holders from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia would be able to enter China visa-free for business, tourism, visiting relatives and friends, and transit for up to 15 days.

Belt and Road Initiative

In addition to the visa exemption issue, the two ministers also discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations and a range of other topics. This included China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a massive infrastructure development project, and the construction of the Thai-Chinese high-speed railway project.

Parnpree pointed out that China recently increased its purchase of agricultural produce from Thailand, particularly durian. An online order for 80,000 durians was made in just one minute, he revealed. The completion of the high-speed rail project would further bolster Thailand’s exports to China, providing a significant boost to the economy and income of local farmers, reported Bangkok Post.

Discussions also covered the strengthening of cooperation in combating transnational crime and regional issues of mutual interest.

Meanwhile, in a separate meeting, Parnpree discussed matters with his Myanmar counterpart Than Swe. They discussed the repatriation of Thai nationals from Laukkaing and the scaling up of humanitarian assistance in line with the implementation of ASEAN’s 5-Point Consensus for those living along the Thai-Myanmar border.