Simplified travel measures between China and ASEAN countries are being welcomed as a boost for business development and people-to-people exchanges.
Ferri Limputra, CEO of Jakarta-based electrical components manufacturer Pura Mayungan, frequently travels to China for both business and leisure. He expressed strong approval of China’s new five-year multiple-entry visa for ASEAN business executives.
“This new visa policy greatly reduces paperwork and makes traveling to China much easier,” Limputra said.
China recently announced issuance of “ASEAN visa” for business executives from 10 ASEAN countries and observer state Timor-Leste. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian confirmed at a press briefing that eligible applicants, along with spouses and children, will receive five-year multiple-entry visas allowing stays up to 180 days.
Lin Yiwu noted that following visa-free agreements with Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia, plus the Lancang-Mekong visa scheme for Mekong countries, this new initiative further facilitates regional cross-border travel.
“In recent years, China and ASEAN have advanced building a community of shared destiny, achieving significant progress in creating peaceful, secure, prosperous, and friendly home,” Lin said. “Both sides increasingly seek to ease personnel exchanges.”
China remains ASEAN’s largest trading partner and one of the region’s top sources of investment and tourism. ASEAN executives and trade officials frequently travel to China for deals and procurement.
Wilson Lee Flores, entrepreneur and analyst in Manila, called the new visa a “game changer” for business expansion and innovation. He explained easier travel enables real-time negotiations, faster decisions, and timely insights into Chinese market trends.
Lee Flores added that ASEAN visa will foster bilateral trade and investment by enabling more frequent, efficient, and meaningful business exchanges.
He stressed that unprecedented access for Filipino entrepreneurs, investors, and traders to China will unlock trade opportunities, attract high-value investments, and facilitate technology transfer, enhancing local industries.
John Paul Rivera, senior researcher at Philippine Development Institute, described China’s ASEAN visa as having “significant economic and geopolitical impact” on Southeast Asia.
Simplified mobility of businesspeople and families is expected to deepen trade and investment ties between China and ASEAN economies, Rivera said. Loosened travel restrictions will also ease joint ventures, supply chain integration, and participation in regional trade platforms like RCEP and Belt and Road Initiative.
“By offering this visa, China positions itself as regional hub and connector, boosting soft power and diplomatic credibility in Southeast Asia while countering rising Western protectionism through accelerated Asian regional integration,” Rivera said.
Laode Muhammad Syarif, senior lecturer at Hasanuddin University Faculty of Law in Indonesia, noted benefits extend beyond commerce and trade.
“This may also improve civil relations between ASEAN and China,” Syarif said.
According to Xinhua, visits to China by tourists from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand tripled in April 2025 compared to April 2019. Vietnamese visitors reached 16,715, a tenfold increase.
Hu Yishan, senior researcher at Singapore Institute of International Affairs, affirmed ASEAN visa will promote people-to-people exchanges and tourism growth between China and ASEAN member states.
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