Foreign minister provides background to Thai-China visa waiver
Three months of multi-level negotiations between Thai and Chinese authorities have resulted in a mutual agreement to waive visa requirements for the nationals of both countries permanently from March 1.
Following up on Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s announcement on Tuesday, Foreign Affairs Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara explained that the talks on visa waivers between Thailand and China got underway during the PM’s official visit to Beijing in October last year, when the PM met with Chinese president Xi Jinping to discuss the move in a bid to promote mutual tourism.
The move is part of the government’s policy of strengthening Thai passports for overseas travel, added Parnpree, who also serves as a Deputy Prime Minister.
On December 6-7, Parnpree attended a foreign ministerial meeting under the Mekong-Lancang Cooperation in Beijing, and discussed the visa waiver with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. The two sides agreed to set up a bilateral task force to oversee the project.
On December 21-22, the Thai task force, led by Department of East Asian Affairs’ deputy director-general met with executives of China’s Department of Consular Affairs in Beijing, and reached an agreement to start the permanent visa waivers on March 1, 2024.
Parnpree said the measure would allow holders of ordinary and semi-official passports to enter and stay in the other country for up to 30 days per time, or not over 90 days in total over a period of 180 days.
This waiver excludes permanent residence, working, studying, media activities, or other activities that require a permit in advance, he added.
