The People's Republic of China has announced that it will exempt UAE nationals carrying ordinary passports from obtaining pre-entry visas, with the possibility of staying for up to 30 days on each visit, starting from January 16.

The exemption came as a result of an agreement signed recently in Abu Dhabi by Ahmed Saeed Elham Al Dhaheri, assistant under-secretary for Consular Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and Ni Jian, Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to the UAE, reported Emirates news agency Wam.

Al Dhaheri said that the move by the Chinese Government reflects the stature attained by the UAE and contributes to strengthening bilateral relations and opening new avenues for growing tourism and trade between the two friendly countries.

"The UAE has become a model for good governance, moderation and peaceful co-existence and a symbol for achievement and excellence at the international levels," he said.

The UAE and China are connected by strong and developing economic and commercial relations, and the size of their commercial exchange in the first half of 2017 reached around $20.25 billion, with $13.97 billion accounting for China’s exports to UAE while $7.871 billion accounted for the value of imports from the UAE.

Regarding aviation, which is a key pillar to the economic and commercial co-operation between the two countries, the number of direct weekly flights by UAE national carries to China is currently around 60.