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Calls to Accelerate Arab Countries’ Accession to WTO

The headquarters of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva, Switzerland. (Twitter)
The headquarters of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva, Switzerland. (Twitter)
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Calls to Accelerate Arab Countries’ Accession to WTO

The headquarters of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva, Switzerland. (Twitter)
The headquarters of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva, Switzerland. (Twitter)

A joint Arab ministerial statement underlined the need to accelerate the accession of Arab countries to the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Saudi Minister of Commerce Dr. Majid Bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi, who is also head of the Board of Directors of the General Authority for Foreign Trade, chaired on Sunday the preparatory meeting of Arab commerce ministers, ahead of the 12th ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization, which will be held in Geneva on Nov.20 -Dec. 3.

Speaking on the occasion, Qasabi stressed the importance of highlighting the vital and active role that the Arab Group plays in international and economic organizations, especially within the WTO.

“A joint ministerial statement was issued containing consensual and common visions of the Arab countries on various issues within the framework of the World Trade Organization,” Qasabi said.

The ministerial statement underlined the need to facilitate and accelerate the accession of Arab countries to the organization, provide technical assistance and capacity building for developing and least developed countries.

It also stressed the need to grant the League of Arab States observer status in the WTO and support the State of Palestine’s request for an observer status, as well as include Arabic as an official working language.

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China Expands Visa-free Entry to More Countries in Bid to Boost Economy

Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
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China Expands Visa-free Entry to More Countries in Bid to Boost Economy

Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

China announced Friday that it would expand visa-free entry to citizens of nine more countries as it seeks to boost tourism and business travel to help revive a sluggish economy.
Starting Nov. 30, travelers from Bulgaria, Romania, Malta, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Estonia, Latvia and Japan will be able to enter China for up to 30 days without a visa, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said.
That will bring to 38 the number of countries that have been granted visa-free access since last year. Only three countries had visa-free access previously, and theirs had been eliminated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The permitted length of stay for visa-free entry is being increased from the previous 15 days, Lin said, and people participating in exchanges will be eligible for the first time. China has been pushing people-to-people exchange between students, academics and others to try to improve its sometimes strained relations with other countries, The Associated Press reported.
China strictly restricted entry during the pandemic and ended its restrictions much later than most other countries. It restored the previous visa-free access for citizens of Brunei and Singapore in July 2023, and then expanded visa-free entry to six more countries — France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia — on Dec. 1 of last year.
The program has since been expanded in tranches. Some countries have announced visa-free entry for Chinese citizens, notably Thailand, which wants to bring back Chinese tourists.
For the three months from July through September this year, China recorded 8.2 million entries by foreigners, of which 4.9 million were visa-free, the official Xinhua News Agency said, quoting a Foreign Ministry consular official.