At a regular press briefing on June 3, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian introduced the launch of the "ASEAN Visa." The visa is offered to businesspeople and their spouses and children from 10 ASEAN member states and ASEAN observer Timor-Leste. It allows for a 5-year multiple-entry visa with up to 180 days of stay per visit. Lin stated that this move aims to facilitate regional cross-border movement and deepen people-to-people and trade exchanges between China and ASEAN countries.
Fudan University's Zhao Weihua, Director of the Center for China's Relations with its Neighboring Countries, told Wen Wei Po that the "ASEAN Visa" will enhance cultural and economic exchanges and contribute to the ongoing development of the China-ASEAN community with a shared future.
Lin stated that in recent years, the building of a China-ASEAN community with a shared future has steadily advanced, achieving significant progress in jointly creating the "Five Homes." There has been frequent interaction between people from China and Southeast Asian countries, and further facilitating such exchanges is a shared aspiration. He noted that, building on the comprehensive mutual visa exemption agreements with Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia, as well as the issuance of the "Lancang Mekong Visa" for Mekong countries, China is now introducing the "ASEAN Visa" for the 10 ASEAN member states and ASEAN observer Timor-Leste.
Strengthening China-ASEAN economic growth
Zhao highlighted that China and Southeast Asian countries are geographically close, separated only by a narrow sea, with interconnected mountains and rivers, and they share a history of cultural and economic exchanges spanning thousands of years. In particular, since the beginning of China's reform and opening-up, relations between China and ASEAN have grown increasingly close.
Since 2020, China and ASEAN have been each other's largest trading partners for five consecutive years, with extensive cultural and economic exchanges. Recently, the conclusion of negotiations for the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 signifies that economic and trade exchanges between China and ASEAN will reach new heights, and people-to-people exchanges will become even closer.
At this juncture, China's introduction of the "ASEAN Visa" is a natural outcome of the continuously deepening relationship between the two sides. The launch of the "ASEAN Visa" will further promote cultural and economic exchanges between China and ASEAN, advance the building of a China-ASEAN community with a shared future, and drive economic development for both China and ASEAN countries.
China's role in maintaining global order
Zhao further stressed that while some Western nations, led by the US, promote trade protectionism and anti-globalization measures, China continues to champion globalization and openness. The introduction of the "ASEAN Visa" underscores China's confidence and its role as a staunch defender of the global order.
Previously, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning announced a trial visa exemption policy for citizens of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, and Bahrain from June 9, 2025, to June 8, 2026. Citizens of these countries with ordinary passports will be allowed to enter China for business, tourism, family visits, and transit for up to 30 days without a visa. Combined with the UAE and Qatar, which have enjoyed mutual visa exemptions since 2018, China has now achieved full visa exemption coverage for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
Expanding visa-free entry
China's unilateral visa-free policy continues to expand. On June 1, Lin Jian announced that the policy now includes countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, bringing the total number of visa-free countries to 43. These efforts reflect China's commitment to fostering an open global economy.
In the first quarter of this year, over 9 million foreign nationals entered China, a 40% increase compared to the same period last year. Additionally, over 18,000 foreign-invested enterprises were established in the first four months of 2025, marking a 12.1% year-on-year growth. These figures demonstrate China's progress in promoting openness and international cooperation.
China-ASEAN recent trade data
- China has been ASEAN's largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years, while ASEAN has been China's largest trading partner for five consecutive years.
- In 2024, total trade between China and ASEAN reached nearly RMB 7 trillion, accounting for 15.9% of China's total foreign trade.
- In the first quarter of 2025, ASEAN remained China's largest trading partner, with trade totaling RMB 1.71 trillion, a 7.1% year-on-year increase, representing 16.6% of China's overall foreign trade.
(Source: Wen Wei Po, CCTV; Journalist: Ma Jing; English Editor: Zoey Sun)
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