Sāmoa and China sign visa-free travel deal

Citizens of Sāmoa and China can now travel to each other's countries without a visa for up to 30 days.

The mutual visa exemption agreement was signed during the Spring Festival event hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Apia on Thursday.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Sāmoa and China.

The reception was attended by His Highness Afioga Tuimalealiʻifano Vaʻaletoʻa Sualauvi II, Prime Minister Fiamē Naomi Mata’afa and opposition leader Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi.

New Zealand's former Minister for Pacific Peoples, Aupito William Sio, also attended and commented on Aotearoa's inflexible immigration policies.

Aupito said, “When New Zealand keeps their immigration doors closed by putting up stumbling blocks in their visitor visa applications to a people they have a long-standing Treaty of Friendship with, and have families who make up a strong diaspora population that continue to serve their economies in so many diverse areas, that creates a void for other nations, like China, to step in and fill."

New Zealand and Sāmoa have maintained diplomatic ties since 1962, the same year the Treaty of Friendship was signed by (Western) Sāmoa's first Prime Minister, Fiamē Mataʻafa Faumuina Mulinuʻu II, who is the father of the current Prime Minister, and New Zealand’s high commissioner to Sāmoa at the time, Jack Wright.

The Treaty emphasised close friendship, a commitment to mutual welfare, and equitable treatment of citizens.

“Like it or not, this [the agreement] will change the landscape of the Pacific region permanently,” Aupito said.

Former Minister for Pacific Peoples, Aupito William Sio. Photo/Supplied

“With President Trump's USA pulling out of the World Health Organization and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, and perhaps other global multilateral organisations, future world leaders will step up to fill the void left behind by others.”

The visa-free arrangement was agreed upon during Fiamē's official visit to China last November.

According to a statement from the Sāmoan government, both sides agreed to expand people-to-people exchanges and co-operation in areas such as culture, youth, education, and tourism.

The agreement aims to facilitate a mutual visa-free arrangement as soon as possible.

Watch Fiamē Naomi Mata'afa's meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing in November, 2024.

In addition, the Chinese government will continue to send medical teams to Sāmoa, provide scholarships, offer various training opportunities, and support Sāmoa in Chinese language education.

At Thursday's celebration, both Fiamē and Chinese Ambassador Fei Mingxing delivered keynote speeches that reflected on the deepening partnership and emphasised China’s contributions to Sāmoa’s development.

Sāmoa, Fiji, Tonga, and the Solomon Islands are the only nations in the Pacific region with visa-free agreements with China.

Fiji and China established a mutual visa exemption agreement in 2015, followed by Tonga in 2016.

Most recently, the Solomon Islands signed a similar agreement with China last November.

Chinese Ambassador to the Solomon Islands, Cai Weiming, and Solomon Islands' Foreign Minister Peter Shanel Agovaka signed a visa-free travel agreement in Honiara last November. Photo/Chinese Embassy in Honiara