ASTANA – The visa-free regime between Kazakhstan and China will only apply to tourist and business trips and will not cover work purposes, spokesperson of the Kazakh Foreign Ministry Aibek Smadiyarov announced at a May 2 press briefing.
Kazakh Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson Aibek Smadiyarov at a May 2 press briefing. Photo credit: gov.kz.
Smadiyarov noted that the mutual visa-free regime between the two countries would let Kazakh citizens stay in China for up to 30 days.
“The [visa-free] agreement applies only to signing contracts, negotiations, consulting services, and other business purposes. It does not grant the right to work,” he clarified.
He also stressed that this agreement has not yet entered into force, unlike the document signed last July that allows Chinese citizens to visit Kazakhstan for 14 days without a visa.
Smadiyarov highlighted that Chinese citizens should obtain a work permit ahead of time. Otherwise, anyone who violates the migration rules may face legal consequences. He specified that the number of migration violations by Chinese citizens in the previous year was minimal.
Smadiyarov also discussed the evacuation of Kazakh citizens from Sudan amid the violent conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces.
He said that after the information on evacuation was published in the media, the number of Kazakh citizens in Sudan who contacted the ministry increased from three to 14.
Because there is no Kazakh embassy in Sudan, the embassies of Russia, Türkiye, Ethiopia, Jordan, and other countries with whom Kazakhstan has good relations, helped to evacuate six Kazakh citizens to Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Ethiopia through neighboring countries, Smadiyarov said.
“Four citizens came back to Kazakhstan. Six people out of 17 left Sudan, and the remaining 11 decided to stay,” he added.
The spokesperson assured that the remaining citizens will be evacuated immediately if the conflict escalates.
