China Announces Visa-Free Travel for Indonesians

Beijing (Antara) - The Chinese government is offering Indonesian citizens who hold diplomatic passports, service passports and regular passports visa-free travel to China, according to officials attending a Chinese-Indonesian forum here. The offer was announced at an Indonesian-Chinese Consular and Immigration Forum, which began here on Tuesday. The Indonesian delegation to the forum was led by Consular Affairs Director of the Foreign Affairs Ministry Tri Tharyat, while the Chinese delegation was led by the Consular Affairs Director of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Huang Ping. Indonesia's Ambassador to China and Mongolia, Imron Cotan, said the Indonesian government, particularly the relevant ministries, will study the offer of visa-free travel to China in detail before responding to the Chinese government. Currently, Indonesia offers visas on arrival to Chinese citizens visiting the country. However, China has not offered a similar facility to Indonesians visiting China. Both sides also agreed to create a mechanism to transmit information quickly to the respective representatives of both countries whenever Indonesian or Chinese citizens faced a legal problem. "Country representatives can immediately provide protection and legal assistance, which will reduce the possibility of legal cases arising without their knowledge," Imron noted. (*)