Thailand and China will implement a reciprocal visa-free scheme for their citizens, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said on Tuesday.
Following a cabinet meeting, the prime minister said that the permanent visa-free scheme between the two countries would come into effect on March 1.
Travellers from both Thailand and China will no longer be required to submit visa applications in advance for visits to each other's countries, said Mr Srettha, who also serves as finance minister.
The development was a progress from Thailand's previous visa-free program for Chinese visitors, which was initially scheduled to extend until Feb 29. At that time, relevant officials were also discussing the permanent and reciprocal visa-free initiative, the prime minister said.
These discussions were the reason why China did not include Thailand in the list of its visa-free scheme for five countries over a month ago. That scheme was temporary, Mr Srettha said.
Last year, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) reported that Chinese tourists formed the second largest group of visitors to Thailand.
About 3.42 million Chinese people visited Thailand last year, while Malaysians constituted the largest group, with around 4.4 million visitors to the kingdom. Chinese comprised the biggest group of visitors in pre-pandemic 2019, with 10 million.
Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara said on Tuesday he would visit China either this month or early February to sign the permanent visa-free agreement.