SOLOMON Islands and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on Friday marked a significant milestone in bilaterial relations with the signing of an agreement on Mutual Visa Exemption for ordinary passport holders.
The signing of this agreement means the ordinary passport holders of Solomon Islands will be exempted from visa requirements for entry or transit to/in China and likewise the ordinary passport holders of PRC will also be exempted from visa requirements when travelling to or transiting in Solomon Islands.
The visa-exemption applies for a single stay of not more than 30 days and an accumulative period of stay not more than 90 days in any 180-day period.
The PRC Ambassador to Solomon Islands, Cai Weiming and the Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade, Peter Shanel Agovaka signed the agreement on Friday in the Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (OPMC) in the presence of Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele and officials of the Solomon Islands Government and the Chinese Embassy.
In his speech at the ceremony, PM Manele said the signing of the mutual visa exemption for ordinary passport holders of Solomon Islands and PRC signify the ‘deepening and growing’ people-to-people and cultural relations between the two countries just within five years of diplomatic relations.
The PM said in 2022, he had the honor of signing the agreement with the PRC on Mutual Visa exemption for holders of diplomatic, official and service passports in his capacity as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade.
And he said witnessing the signing of the Mutual Visa Exemption for ordinary passport holders of both countries marked a significant progress in the bilaterial relations between Solomon Islands and PRC as it paves the way for the ordinary citizens of both countries to travel freely between their two countries and learn of each other’s cultures.
PM Manele said the promotion of greater understanding and respect amongst Solomon Islanders and Chinese is critical to the supervening Solomon Islands-PRC bilateral relations.
He also expressed optimism that the newly signed visa-exemption framework will capture a slice of China’s 130 million tourists to see Solomon Islands as a destination of choice.
The PM expressed appreciation to Beijing for the speed in which it responded to Honiara’s request to initiate a reciprocal visa-free arrangement.
He said this is a demonstration of China’s commitment to enhance strategic communication and deepen cooperation in various fields with Solomon Islands and ensure steady progress in bilateral relations, bringing more benefits to the people of both countries.
On that note, PM Manele said Solomon Islands will continue to commit itself to strengthening its comprehensive strategic partnership with China, which has become a pacesetter for the relations between China and other Pacific Island Countries.
He said Solomon Islands will also continue to reaffirm its commitment to the One-China Principle and its readiness to keep close high-level exchanges with China.
In his remarks, Ambassador Cai said he was proud to sign the agreement with the Solomon Islands Government on behalf of Beijing and thanked officials from both countries who worked hard to make the signing ceremony yesterday possible.
He also described the signing of agreement as another significant milestone in the PRC-Solomon Islands bilaterial relations that will contribute to the further strengthening of people-to-people exchanges and promoting cooperation and friendship between the two countries.
By DELI-SHARON OSO
Solomon Star, Honiara
