China has officially announced the launch of an "ASEAN visa" for the 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as well as East Timor, an observer country. This initiative was announced on June 3 by Lin JianChinese Foreign Ministry spokesman.
This new visa program offers a visit visa "Multi-entry card valid for 5 years. It is specifically designed for businessmen of the 11 countries concerned, as well as their spouses and children who meet the eligibility requirements. Each authorized stay in China with this visa can be from up to 180 days.
According to Lin Jian, the "ASEAN visa" builds on existing mutual visa exemption arrangements with countries such as Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia, and complements the previously issued "Lancang-Mekong visa", which facilitated travel between nations bordering the Mekong River. The spokesman emphasized that this initiative further enhances the convenience of cross-border travel in the region.
The aim of this measure is to strengthening ties between China and ASEAN. Lin Jian asserted that the launch of this visa is in line with ongoing efforts to build a "China-ASEAN community with a shared future. Significant progress has been made in promoting peace, prosperity, environmental harmony and friendship in the region. Further facilitating personnel exchanges is a shared aspiration for China and its Southeast Asian partners, he added.
| The "ASEAN visa" announcement follows others recent easing of chinese visa policy. Since June 1, China has been applying a trial policy granting a unilateral visa waiver for 5 Latin American countries Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Uruguay. In addition, China has extended visa-free access to all the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). This is the first time that such an exemption has been extended to Latin American and Caribbean nations. These measures bring the total number of countries eligible for visa-free entry into China to 43. |
Lin Jian stressed that the continued extension of the list of visa-free countries testifies to China's firm commitment to high-level openness. Optimizing entry policies is part of China's concrete efforts to contribute to an open global economy.
To illustrate the growing openness, Lin Jian pointed out that more than 9 million foreigners entered China in the first quarter of 2025This represents an increase of more than 40 % over the previous year. In addition, more than 18,000 foreign-owned companies have been created in the first four months of the year, an increase of 12.1 % year-on-year.
Lin Jian concluded by saying that China will continue to optimize its entry policies, expand visa waiver coverage and offer more convenient services. The aim is to promote shared prosperity through greater openness and deeper international cooperation. Those with more detailed questions about visas for China are invited to contact the Chinese diplomatic and consular representatives in their respective countries.
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