China has officially introduced a new multiple-entry visa scheme tailored for business travellers from the 10 ASEAN member nations, as well as ASEAN observer Timor-Leste, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Tuesday, 3 June.
The initiative, dubbed the “ASEAN visa”, enables eligible individuals from Southeast Asian countries to enter China multiple times over a five-year period, with each stay permitting a duration of up to 180 days. The visa also extends to accompanying spouses and children.
The ASEAN countries covered under this new arrangement include Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia. Timor-Leste, a formal observer of ASEAN, is also included.
This strategic move comes amid China’s broader efforts to facilitate regional travel and deepen cross-border economic engagement. “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,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian during a press briefing.
The ASEAN visa complements several bilateral visa-free agreements already in place. China currently maintains reciprocal visa-free travel arrangements with Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia, allowing citizens to visit each other’s countries for up to 30 days without a visa. These agreements have contributed to a surge in regional mobility since their respective inceptions, including the Singapore-China visa-free policy that commenced in February last year.
This latest scheme builds upon the “Lancang-Mekong visa”, which was introduced in November 2024. That programme provides five-year multiple-entry business visas, with a stay of up to 180 days, for nationals from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam—five countries along the Mekong River.
In a broader effort to boost inbound tourism and international engagement, China has expanded its visa-free access globally. As of 1 June, a pilot policy has been implemented granting unilateral visa-free entry to citizens from several Latin American countries, including Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Uruguay. Additionally, visa-free entry has recently been extended to all member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
China reported a significant uptick in foreign arrivals in early 2025, with over 9 million international visitors recorded in the first quarter—a year-on-year increase exceeding 40%, according to official figures.
“The growing list of nations granted visa-free entry into the country reflects China’s strong commitment to advancing high-level opening up,” Lin said. “The continuous optimisation of measures to facilitate cross-border personnel exchanges underscores China’s concrete efforts to help build an open world economy.”
He added that China remains committed to refining its entry policies and expanding the number of countries eligible for visa-free travel, as part of a wider strategy to attract global visitors and promote its rich array of products and services.
-CNA
