Malaysia-China people-to-people relations strengthened by visa exemptions: official

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- Visa exemptions implemented by China for Malaysian nationals and Malaysia's policy for Chinese nationals have strengthened tourism and people-to-people relations, a Malaysian official said here on Thursday.

An exponential increase in Chinese tourists to the Southeast Asian country was a testament to the success and wisdom of the policies, with 2.69 million Chinese tourists visiting Malaysia in the first nine months this year, a 144 percent increase compared to the same period last year, Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry Secretary-General Roslan Abdul Rahman told Xinhua.

As for Malaysia's upcoming chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Roslan expressed optimism that this would result in additional arrivals from across the region, and more importantly, this will allow Malaysia through the ASEAN platform to engage with regional partners such as China.

Malaysia will officially assume the chair of ASEAN on Jan. 1, 2025.■