An agreement regarding reciprocal visa exemption for officials and citizens of both countries was signed on Tuesday.
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| Zhou Ding and Megi Fino after the singing of the agreement |
Zhou Ding, the Chinese Ambassador to Albania, and Megi Fino, the Albanian Deputy Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, signed the agreement, official Chinese reports.
It states that Albanian and Chinese citizens can enter each other's countries without a visa, regardless of the type of passport they hold.
During the busiest tourist seasons in 2018 and 2019, Albania made Chinese citizens who came to the country for brief visits visa-free. The following year, Chinese citizens were permitted a visa-free short-term visit to Albania.
Edi Rama, Albania's Prime Minister, broke the news to the public.
On his Facebook page, he wrote, "China opens visa-free for Albanians after 30 days."
According to the Ministry's announcement, among other things, "The agreement has been proposed by the Chinese side and will have a positive effect on facilitating movement and increasing contacts between the citizens of both countries, as well as serve as a further incentive for strengthening bilateral relations in all areas of common interest."
Albanians can visit China without a visa for up to 180 days after the agreement goes into effect.
Since 2019, Chinese citizens have been able to enter Albania on tourist visas.
China is one of Albania's main trade partners, according to data from the Institute of Statistics in Albania (INSTAT) for December of last year: Italy (24 percent), Turkey (7.7 percent), Switzerland (11 percent), and China (7.3 percent) round out the top five.
From 53 million ALL (more than 45 million euros) in 2018 to 77 million ALL (more than 66 million euros) in 2022, China imports have continued to rise.
Prior to this, Prime Minister Rama stated that Albania anticipates additional Chinese investments and Chinese investors have expressed an interest in investments in energy and infrastructure.
However, concerns have been expressed by the European Union and the United States regarding Chinese investments in the Balkans, particularly in North Macedonia and Montenegro.