China to grant visa-free travel to citizens from Ireland

By Alperen Aktas

ISTANBUL (AA) - China's Premier Li Qiang said Wednesday that Beijing will implement a one-sided visa-free policy for citizens from Ireland.

He made the announcement during a trip to Dublin.

Li expressed hope that Ireland would "create a business environment that is open, fair, and non-discriminatory for Chinese companies," during a meeting with his Irish counterpart, Leo Varadkar, according to a statement.

He urged Ireland to team up with China in supporting open global trade and genuine multilateralism.

Li also met Irish President Michael Higgins.

He concluded his four-day trip to Europe on Sunday.

Li announced similar unilateral visa-free treatment Monday to citizens from Switzerland during a trip to Bern, where he attended the World Economic Forum in Davos.

China granted 15-day visa-free entries in November to citizens of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia.

From March, China and Thailand are expected to waive visa requirements for each other’s citizens.