Australians will now be able to travel to China without having to pay or apply for a visa, the Chinese prime minister announced in Canberra today.
Premier Li Qiang said Australia would be included in the Asian country’s visa waiver program to speed up international travel for jet-setting Australians.
It means Australians will be able to travel to China for up to 15 days for business, tourism and visiting loved ones without having to obtain a visa.
Li made the announcement after arriving at Parliament on Monday for an annual leaders’ meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and several cabinet members.
New Zealand was recently added to the visa waiver program in May.
Australians will be able to travel to China without a visa, the Chinese prime minister announced
Residents of Malaysia and 11 other European countries can also travel to China without a visa.
This will save Australians about $110, which was the approximate price of a single entry visa to China.
Li also announced that China and Australia would allow reciprocal multiple-entry visas of up to three to five years for business, tourism and family visits.
Multiple entry visas mean that a person can travel to the other country as many times as they want during the validity period of their visa.
Australians already have the fifth-strongest passport in the world, with visa-free access to 190 countries.
During his stay in Australia, Li will also meet with Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Trade Minister Don Farrell and Resources Minister Madeleine King.
Walking away from the high-stakes discussions, Albanese said such talks were crucial to the bilateral relationship.
“My government has put dialogue at the center of Australia’s relationship with China, because it is always more effective when we deal directly with each other,” he told reporters in Canberra.
‘It is crucial that we interact with each other, given how close we are geographically, how interconnected we are economically and the deep and enduring ties between our people.
“Australia and China have renewed and revitalized our commitment.”
Li made the announcement after arriving at Parliament on Monday for an annual leaders’ meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and several cabinet members.
The politicians signed four memorandums of understanding on the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement, climate change, education and research, strategic economic dialogue and cultural cooperation.
The premier’s trip to China in November, followed by Mr Li’s current visit to Australia, showed that both countries attach “great importance” to their relationship, the premier said.
“This relationship is on the right path of constant improvement,” said Mr. Li.
“Prime Minister Albanese and I have had a sincere, deep and fruitful debate that has reached a great common consensus.”
Li’s visit is the first by a Chinese prime minister to Australia in seven years and comes after a period of turbulence for the country’s largest trading partner, while recent military incidents in international waters have threatened a diplomatic thaw.
Pro- and anti-China protesters have gathered across Canberra with flags and bunting on street corners near parliament.
Premier Li Qiang arrived in South Australia on Saturday, where he visited China’s pandas at Adelaide Zoo before strolling through a local winery.
He will also go to Australia’s resources powerhouse in Western Australia as part of his visit.