Starting Nov. 11, citizens of China and Israel can avail of the 10-year visas with multiple entries, as announced by Matan Vilnai, Israel ambassador to China, during the official launch of the program on Nov. 15, the Global Times reported.
"I believe that this visa agreement will facilitate a greater change and openness between Israel and China," Israel's ambassador said.
The visa agreement will enable Chinese citizens to enter Israel several times over a 10-year period. They can also stay to a maximum of 90 days each time but not more than 180 days within one year.
The 10-year visa program was made possible under the agreement signed by the two countries at the meeting of the China-Israel Joint Committee on Innovation Cooperation, as witnessed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Chinese Deputy Minister Liu Yandong.
"This agreement symbolizes the beginning of a new era in the relations between Israel and China--a way for Israelis and Chinese people to create new connections between them," the ambassador stressed.
During his four-year stint as ambassador in China, Vilna worked to promote direct flights between China and Israel. Now, there are four direct flights that fly daily between Beijing and Tel Aviv. He also worked to simplify the country's visa policies.
During the launch event, Vilnai gave 10-year multiple-entry visas to the first batch of Chinese citizens who have made contributions to friendly relations between the two countries. The first citizen to receive the said visa was Liu Ye, a Chinese film star and the tourism ambassador of Israel.
After Canada and the U.S., Israel is the third country to grant multiple-entry visas to Chinese citizens. The new visa agreement is seen as a major development in the relations between the two countries, as they both set up mutual visa waivers for diplomatic and official passport-holders on Jan. 17, the report said.