AWANI Tonight: China: Visa-free strategy promotes growth, expands global influence

AWANI

China has been actively expanding its visa-free travel policy having recently inked a five-year extension with Malaysia. Amid rising trade tensions, Datuk Prof. Dr. Awang Azman Awang Pawi from Universiti Malaya explains how this move can benefit China on a global scale.

Transcript

00:00China is actively promoting visa-free travel to boost tourism and international exchanges,

00:06extending its unilateral visa-free policies to 38 countries just last year.

00:12Most recently, the country extended a five-year visa-free travel agreement with Malaysia,

00:17a deal that signals deeper regional cooperation.

00:20Datuk Prof. Dr. Awang Azman Awang Bawi from University of Malaya

00:24explains how this strategy stands to benefit China on a much broader scale.

00:30China tourism sector is bouncing back from COVID-19.

00:37In 2024, it saw an impressive 48.8% jump in foreign visitor rising to 82 million up from 55 million the year before.

00:52Over half of the dose visitor came thanks to visa-free or simplified entry policies.

01:02China is a transit hub.

01:04Cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu want to be a major global transit stop.

01:12Now, traveler heading to Asia or Europe where Chinese airline can enjoy a short stay in China

01:23that helped boost the aviation sector, local tourism and airport economies.

01:29Other countries are watching this move by China.

01:33They are working closely.

01:36By early 2025, China offered visa-free entry to 38 countries, including Germany, France, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

01:50The countries in ASEAN like Indonesia and Vietnam are exploring similar ideas,

01:57especially to attract traveler from China and the West.

02:01Visa-free traveler typically spend 30% to 40% more per trip compared to visa-bound traveler.

02:09Actually, there is a huge for local economies.

02:15So, many countries see visa-free access as a fast track to boosting tourism and the trade.

02:24Now, amid trade tensions, Datuk Prof. Dr. Awan Asman says China's visa-free push

02:30is also seen as part of a broader strategy to expand its global influence.

02:35It ties into China's larger ambitions under the Belt and Road Initiative,

02:40supporting cross-border trade, digitalization and stronger economic ties worldwide.

02:47Is this part of bigger strategy by China to grow its global influence?

02:53I believe this, yes.

02:55This is just one piece of much bigger puzzle.

02:59Under the Belt and Road Initiative,

03:01easy travel help with cross-border collaboration,

03:07infrastructure, checks and academic exchanges

03:09to the digital sick road.

03:12I believe that China linked this travel policy

03:14with initiative in digital threat,

03:17AI cooperation and cross-border e-commerce.

03:21So, this visa policy,

03:24very smart soft diplomacy.

03:26It's about building trust,

03:30growing independence,

03:32interdependence and positioning China as a good connector

03:36in travel, trade and technology.

03:39technology.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended