Malaysia on Sunday said it will allow visitors from India 30 days of visa-free travel from December 1. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the same provision applied for Chinese citizens as well.
Malaysia is the third Asian country after Sri Lanka and Thailand to allow visa-free travel to Indian citizens. At present, travellers from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Iran, Turkey and Jordan enjoy visa exemption in the country.
The prime minister, however, said the visa exemption for Indian and Chinese citizens will be subject to security clearance. Those with criminal record and risk of violence will not get the visa, he added.
Anwar said home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail will announce the details on the visa exemption soon.
On November 24, China announced 15-day visa-free policy for Malaysians from December 1, 2023 to November 30, 2024. Thanking the Chinese government, Anwar said: “Next year, Malaysia will be celebrating 50 years of diplomatic ties with China.”
The announcement came in the wake of the ASEAN-India Media Exchange Programme 2023, where High Commissioner to Malaysia BN Reddy said India’s relationship with Malaysia was “very precious”. “This is one relationship which is very important for the region given the proximity, diaspora connect, and the desire of both governments to realise this enhanced strategic partnership,” he said.
The two countries just concluded 65 years of diplomatic relations last year and are in the process of now realising the enhanced strategic partnership established during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit in 2015.
In 2022, India was Malaysia’s 11th largest trading partner with total trade amounting to RM 86.22 billion (USD 19.63 billion), an increase of 23.6 percent compared to the recorded value in 2021.
(With PTI inputs)