“We will continue this for five more years with the option to extend it for another five years after this period ends,” Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said as quoted by The Star.

The agreement was among the 32 memoranda of understanding signed during the recent state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping, New Straits Times reported.

Under the initiative, Chinese tourists are allowed to stay in Malaysia for up to 90 days without a visa.

China would also reciprocate by offering visa-free entry to Malaysian citizens for the same period, Ismail said.

Malaysia, named Asia’s most loved country last year by the American finance website Insider Monkey, introduced a 30-day visa-free entry policy for Chinese citizens in December 2023 and previously extended the scheme until 2026.

In 2024, Malaysia welcomed 3.29 million Chinese tourists, a significant increase from the previous year, making China the third-largest source of visitors after Singapore and Indonesia.

China was the second-largest source of visitors to Malaysia during the first two months of this year with nearly one million arrivals.