Over 1m Chinese to visit UAE this year
TIES ROBUST AS TWO NATIONS SHARE FREE VISA POLICY, ENVOY SAYS
More than a million Chinese tourists are expected to visit the UAE this year, a top Chinese diplomat has said.
“In 2017, the number of Chinese tourist arrivals in the UAE exceeded one million for the first time and about 3.5 million Chinese tourists transited through the UAE. The UAE is the first Middle East country whose nationals with ordinary passports enjoy visa-free entry to China,” said Ni Jian, the Chinese Ambassador to the UAE.
“Since two countries share free visa policy, [Chinese visitors to the UAE get visa on arrival] people-to-people relations and cultural exchanges have considerably improved,” he said in an interview with Gulf News on the occasion of the Chinese National Day on Monday.
The UAE hosts the largest Chinese diaspora in the Middle East, Jian said. Although the exact number of the Chinese population was not available, it would be between 200,000 and 300,000, he said.
Most of them are living in Dubai and there is a small community of around 2,000 in Abu Dhabi, the envoy said.
The enthusiasm for learning Chinese keeps increasing in ■ the UAE, thanks to the growing relations between both peoples and governments, he said.
The initiative proposed by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, of teaching Chinese in 100 UAE schools is well underway, Jian said. The first batch of 20 Chinese teachers has already started teaching Chinese in 11 schools, he said.
Emiratis visit China
More than 100 young Emirati talents have visited China as part of six China tours organised by the UAE Youth Ambassadors Programme. “This year is a special year for China-UAE ties as bilateral relations were elevated to the comprehensive strategic partnership during the successful UAE visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping in July,” the envoy said.
The ambassador hosted a reception at his residence to celebrate the 69th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China on Monday evening.
Dr Maitha Salem Al Shamsi, Minister of State, was the chief guest at the event attended by senior Emirati officials, foreign diplomats and Chinese community members.