BANGKOK - Thailand and China agreed on Jan 28 to waive visa requirements for each other’s nationals to facilitate travel and tourism between the two countries, hurt by Covid-19.

Thai Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-nukara and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi signed the mutual visa exemption, which takes effect on March 1, at a ceremony after meeting in Bangkok.

“This visa-free era will bring people-to-people exchanges to a new height,” Mr Wang told a joint press conference.

China was a top source for Thailand’s tourism industry, a major driver of South-east Asia’s second-largest economy before the pandemic, but the return of Chinese tourists to Thailand has been slow.

“There will be a big increase in the number of Chinese tourists visiting Thailand,” Mr Wang said.

The number of Chinese tourists to Thailand plunged to 3.5 million in 2023 from 11 million in 2019 before the pandemic.

Beijing and Bangkok also pledged to speed up the construction of the China-Thailand railway and work together in combating transnational crimes, Mr Wang said.

He and US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan held talks in Bangkok on Jan 26 and 27 about issues including bilateral relations, Taiwan and Iran. REUTERS