Malaysia To Discuss Extending Tourist Visa Duration With China - Saifuddin Nasution

From Mohd Fharkhan Abdul Ghapar

SHANGHAI, Sept 8 (Bernama) -- The extension of the tourist visa exemption period for Malaysians to travel to China, from 15 to 30 days, is one of the matters to be discussed during Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's working visit to the country, starting today.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail revealed that they will also discuss extending the visa-free exemption period's end date, from Dec 31, 2025, to Dec 31, 2026.

He said that the matters are expected to be raised in Ahmad Zahid's meeting with China's State Councillor and Public Security Minister Wang Xiaohong at the closed session of the 2024 Conference of the Global Public Security Cooperation From Lianyungang (GPSCFL), here, tomorrow.

“Our stance is that by offering Chinese citizens a 30-day visa-free stay to boost the tourism industry… Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi discussed before that China should reciprocate, because currently, China gives us (Malaysian tourists) only 15 days without a visa.

“In the closed discussion tomorrow, we will raise the matter again. At the official-level discussion, China has shown a positive reaction, but it has not yet become a decision. The positive aspect is their readiness to engage in discussion,” he said at a session with the Malaysian media, here, today.

Ahmad Zahid’s visit to China, from today until Sept 12, is in conjunction with the Global Public Security Cooperation Forum Lianyungang (GPSCFL), held in Lianyungang City, Jiangsu Province, on Sept 8 and 9. The visit comes at the joint invitation of GPSCFL chairman Tsang Wai-Hung, and China Association for Friendship president Chen Zinmin.

During Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang's official visit to Malaysia in June, it was reported that China had agreed to extend the visa exemption for Malaysians until the end of 2025, while Malaysia reciprocated by extending the same facility to Chinese citizens until the end of 2026.

These efforts reflect the two countries' commitment to further fostering and strengthening Malaysia-China ties.

Additionally, Saifuddin Nasution highlighted that Malaysia will focus on cross-border crime issues, such as human trafficking and cybercrime, at the forum. He emphasised that these new challenges require joint efforts and collaboration between countries.

“For Malaysia and China, addressing cross-border crime includes various elements, particularly enhancing the cooperation and capacity of law enforcement agencies and sharing intelligence information related to cross-border criminal activities,” he said.

“This cooperation needs to succeed, particularly in sharing information on drug activities, or crimes such as cybercrime and financial scams. Both countries must be committed to exchanging this information,” he said.

Malaysia and China had previously extended an agreement on cooperation to combat cross-border crime, which will remain in effect until 2034. This extension was formalised during the Fifth Meeting of the Malaysia-People's Republic of China Joint Working Group on Combating Cross-Border Crime, in Beijing, held in June.

He also mentioned that, at a recent conference in Laos, the ASEAN secretary-general highlighted the growing global trend of cross-border crime over the past two years, with losses estimated at US$1.02 trillion.

At the same time, Saifuddin Nasution shared that initial discussions have begun with the National Security Council (MKN), to develop a priority list of national security and crime threats, aiming to focus efforts on resolving these issues more effectively.

“Each country has its own list of priority crime threats. For example, in China, the focus is on financial scams. Malaysia should also have a similar list, which will make it easier to strengthen cooperation with countries which share the same priorities,” he said.

At the ASEAN level, he noted that two elements - piracy at sea and international economic crime - were removed from the bloc's security and crime priorities, while online fraud was added to the list.

-- BERNAMA