China-Australia is introducing 5-year visa for citizens to travel

Forgetting bitterness, China and Australia are introducing five-year multiple entry visas for citizens of each other’s countries to travel for tourism and business purposes.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China said that this visa system will be launched from Friday. This is another sign of improving relations between the two countries.

In a report, Reuters reported that Chinese citizens could previously apply for a visa for up to 1 year to travel to Australia or up to 10 years for frequent travel.

This initiative to introduce 5-year multiple visas for citizens of the two countries came after the milestone visit of Chinese Premier Li Qiang to Australia for the first time in 7 years this week.

The Chinese Prime Minister’s visit melted the ice of several years of bilateral relations between the two countries. The relationship is stable.

China, Australia’s biggest trading partner, imposed a diplomatic row in 2020 on the export of Australian products including coal, wine, barley, and timber. However, all trade restrictions have now been lifted except for the export of Australian lobster.

During his visit to Australia last Sunday, the Chinese Prime Minister also resorted to panda diplomacy to strengthen diplomatic relations in addition to discussing bilateral trade.

China eased visa requirements for visitors from some countries last year after its borders were closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

However, this time the Chinese Prime Minister said during his visit to Australia that China will also provide visa-free travel facilities to Australian citizens. Under this, Australian citizens can travel to China for up to 15 days without a visa.