The mutual visa exemption between China and Malaysia can further enhance cultural exchanges and trade between the two countries, said Princess Tengku Faizwa Tengku Razif of Malaysia, a member of the royal family of Selangor State, in an exclusive interview with China Global Television Network.
This year marks the 12th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Malaysia comprehensive strategic partnership and the 51st anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
In the interview, Princess Tengku Faizwa highlighted the role Admiral Zheng He played in promoting cultural exchanges and trade between China and Malaysia and sowing the seed of China-Malaysia friendship more than 600 years ago, when he led seven maritime expeditions during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) including several voyages to what is now Malaysia.
"Admiral Zheng He, actually he is in our history books. And in Malaysia, we call him Cheng Ho. So we learned that he actually surveyed and settled all over the world. He's legendary. It's because of him that today we have a lot of bilateral trade. So I think we learned a lot from him. And of course, there's more, there's a lot more to the history about him being a great man," said the princess.
On Nov 24, 2023, China announced a unilateral visa-free policy for ordinary passport holders from Malaysia on a trial basis, allowing Malaysian travelers to enter China visa-free for up to 15 days between Dec 1, 2023 and Nov 30, 2024.
Two days later, Malaysia announced it would grant 30-day visa-free travel for Chinese citizens starting Dec 1, 2023.
On June 20, 2024, leaders of China and Malaysia issued a joint statement on deepening the two countries' comprehensive strategic partnership, saying China had agreed to extend the facility until the end of 2025 and Malaysia would reciprocate by extending the visa exemption until the end of 2026.
Hailing the visa exemption, Princess Tengku Faizwa said she hopes the two countries could make the best of the policies and seize the opportunities they will bring to both sides.
"With the new free visa, we can further enhance our cultural exchanges and then have more bilateral trade. We can have multi visits. You know teachers are very important. To me, teachers are very important. So, that's why I try to encourage more teachers to come and have some exchange programs, learn about our culture. China and Malaysia exchange their cultures and then learn more on the opportunities that we have," she said.
Mutual visa exemption between China, Malaysia promotes exchanges, trade: Malaysian princess
