Travel to China Made Easy for Saudis, Kuwaitis, Bahrainis, and Omanis
BEIJING, June 9: China has officially launched a one-year trial visa-free policy for ordinary passport holders from Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, and Bahrain, marking a significant expansion of its visa-free access to Gulf countries.
Effective from June 9, 2025, through June 8, 2026, citizens of these four Gulf nations can enter China without a visa for stays of up to 30 days. The visa exemption applies to travel for business, tourism, family visits, cultural exchanges, or transit.
The move adds to China's growing list of unilateral visa-free arrangements, which already includes the United Arab Emirates and Qatar under reciprocal agreements signed in 2018. With this new policy, China now offers visa-free entry to all six member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning addressed the policy during a press conference on May 28, stating, 'We welcome more friends from GCC countries to visit China anytime.'
The initiative is part of China's broader effort to deepen diplomatic, economic, and cultural ties with the Gulf region and promote people-to-people exchanges.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab Times
2 hours ago
- Arab Times
Chinese tech companies disable AI tools to prevent exam cheating
BEIJING, June 9: Major Chinese technology companies have reportedly disabled certain AI functions to curb cheating during the country's critical university entrance exams, known as the gaokao. More than 13.3 million students began the intense, four-day gaokao on Saturday, a highly competitive exam that largely determines university admissions across China. This year, students seeking help from advanced AI tools have found their access restricted. Screenshots circulating online show users attempting to use AI apps to answer exam questions, only to receive messages stating that question-answering services are suspended during the gaokao period. One example involved Doubao, an AI service owned by ByteDance, which replied: 'During the college entrance examination, according to relevant requirements, the question answering service will be suspended.' Attempts to bypass this restriction were unsuccessful. Other AI tools, including DeepSeek — a newcomer to China's AI market — also announced service unavailability during exam hours 'to ensure fairness in the college entrance examination.' Similarly, tech giants Tencent (Yuanbao), Alibaba (Qwen), and Moonshot (Kimi) have disabled picture recognition functions throughout the exam. While these suspensions have not been officially confirmed by the companies involved, many students have publicly expressed frustration on social media platforms like Weibo. One user quipped, 'College entrance exam candidates, you are all [expletive]. I can't use DeepSeek to upload pictures, I have to download ChatGPT again. I hope you all go to community college.' Beyond AI shutdowns, authorities are deploying additional measures to prevent cheating during the gaokao. Some regions have introduced AI monitoring systems to detect 'abnormal behaviors' such as whispering or repeated glances between students. In Jiangxi province, exam footage will be reviewed afterward, with any violations punished according to strict regulations, state media reports. Other security enhancements include biometric identification, thorough screening for digital devices, radio signal blockers, and stricter entry checks at exam sites. The gaokao's importance is further underscored by societal efforts to minimize disruptions: several cities have postponed public events, delayed office start times, and created priority traffic lanes to ensure students reach exam centers on time. The gaokao remains a pivotal moment in Chinese education, and this year's tech restrictions highlight the evolving challenges of maintaining fairness in an age of rapidly advancing artificial intelligence.
Arab Times
8 hours ago
- Arab Times
Asian shares rally ahead of US-China trade talks
HONG KONG, June 9, (AP): Shares rose in Asia on Monday ahead of a new round of trade talks between Washington and Beijing, due later in the day in London. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 gained 0.9% to 38,088.57 as the government reported that the Japanese economy contracted by 0.2% in the January-March quarter. In South Korea, the Kospi added 1.6% to 2,855.77. Chinese markets rose even though the government reported that exports slowed in May, growing 4.8% from a year earlier after a jump of more than 8% in April. Exports to the United States fell nearly 10% compared with the same month in 2024. China also reported that consumer prices fell 0.1% in May from a year earlier, marking the fourth consecutive month of deflation. Hong Kong's Hang Seng picked up 1.1% to 24,044.90 while the Shanghai Composite Index climbed 0.4% to 3,397.63. Australia's market was closed for a holiday. On Friday, stocks gained ground on Wall Street following a better-than-expected report on the US job market. The gains were broad, with every sector in the S&P 500 rising. That solidified a second consecutive winning week for the benchmark index, which has rallied back from a slump two months ago to come within striking distance of its record high. The S&P 500 rose 1% to 6,000.36. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 1% to 42,762.87 while the Nasdaq gained 1.2% to 19,529.95. Technology stocks, with their outsized values, led the broad gains. Chipmaker Nvidia jumped 1.2% and iPhone maker Apple rose 1.6%. Tesla rose 3.7%, regaining some of the big losses it suffered on Thursday when Trump and Musk sparred feverishly on social media. Circle Internet Group, the US-based issuer of one of the most popular cryptocurrencies, rose 29.4%. That adds to its 168% gain from Thursday when it debuted on the New York Stock Exchange.
Arab Times
8 hours ago
- Arab Times
Travel to China Made Easy for Saudis, Kuwaitis, Bahrainis, and Omanis
BEIJING, June 9: China has officially launched a one-year trial visa-free policy for ordinary passport holders from Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, and Bahrain, marking a significant expansion of its visa-free access to Gulf countries. Effective from June 9, 2025, through June 8, 2026, citizens of these four Gulf nations can enter China without a visa for stays of up to 30 days. The visa exemption applies to travel for business, tourism, family visits, cultural exchanges, or transit. The move adds to China's growing list of unilateral visa-free arrangements, which already includes the United Arab Emirates and Qatar under reciprocal agreements signed in 2018. With this new policy, China now offers visa-free entry to all six member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning addressed the policy during a press conference on May 28, stating, 'We welcome more friends from GCC countries to visit China anytime.' The initiative is part of China's broader effort to deepen diplomatic, economic, and cultural ties with the Gulf region and promote people-to-people exchanges.
