Malaysia to allow visa-free entry for China, India citizens: PM Anwar

Visa-free entry for China and India

Malaysia will grant citizens of China and India 30-day visa-free entry from 1 December, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced on 26 November, as part of efforts to boost tourism and the economy. He made the announcement in his closing speech at Parti Keadilan Rakyat's (PKR) congress marking his unity government's first year in power.

"To celebrate our 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations with China next year, starting Dec 1, we will allow China citizens 30-day visa exemption," — Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim

Indian travellers will get the same facility. The move follows China's own announcement on 24 November of visa-free entry for Malaysians and citizens of five European countries for 15 days. While Singapore and Indonesia send the most tourists to Malaysia overall, China is the largest source of visitors from outside ASEAN — Anwar called the potential "huge" and said airport transport and facilities would be upgraded to match. In September, Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Tiong King Sing had already flagged plans for visa exemptions for Chinese (and, separately, Indian) tourists.

Strengthening ties with neighbours

Defending his frequent overseas travel during his first year as premier, Anwar stressed that foreign relations directly support business at home, pointing to investment plans with Singapore and Thailand. He said Malaysia's relationship with Singapore has improved, telling Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong on several occasions that the unity government takes a positive view of the relationship and intends to deepen cooperation on the proposed Johor economic zone, saying old prejudices "must be buried."

Anwar was also due to meet Thai counterpart Srettha Thavisin on 27 November in Sadao, Songkhla province, for bilateral talks on border-area development, easing cross-border travel, and connectivity projects to support southern Thailand's economy. Around 2.7 million Malaysians visited Thailand in 2022 — the largest visitor group to the country, more than a third entering via the Sadao checkpoint — and as of 19 November, Malaysians remained Thailand's top source of visitors for the year, at 3.9 million.

Approval rating under scrutiny

The announcement comes as Anwar's approval rating has slipped to 50%, from 68% in December 2022, according to a Merdeka Center survey released 22 November, driven mainly by economic concerns — nearly eight in ten of the 1,220 respondents named the economy as Malaysia's top issue. His Pakatan Harapan coalition has also faced criticism over the pace of reforms promised in opposition, which Anwar has said cannot all be solved within a single year. His government also faced criticism in September after Deputy Prime Minister Zahid Hamidi, his UMNO ally, was cleared of graft charges, prompting questions from both government and opposition about its anti-corruption commitment.

"What's most important is that we have Malay leaders who do not steal the country's money. If anyone asks me what I am proud of this past one year, I say, praise God, I watch our leadership closely, I ask for reports, and in the past year, there have been no cases of leaders stealing the people's money," — Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim

Source: The Straits Times