The special administrative region of the People’s Republic of China signed visa-exemption agreement with Serbia on Tuesday, and is looking forward to reaching a similar deal with Nepal in the days to come, the Macau Daily Times reported.

 

The daily quoted Lai leng Kit, identity bureau director for Macau’s Secretary for Administration and Justice, saying that Macau will include Nepal and Russia as the next visa-exempted destinations “probably within three months”.

 

The Hong Kong-based Consulate General of Nepal, which also represents Nepal in Macau, meanwhile, said it has not received any official information on the pertinent issue.

 

“With a surge in Chinese population visiting Nepal, tour operators have been lobbying for the free-visa provision,” Consul General Binod Upadhyay said.  “The deal, if signed, could open up the opportunity for foreign investment in Nepal.”

 

Keshav Prasad Pudasaini, director of Nepal’s Immigration Department, however, said the free-visa provision applies only to Saarc nations so it is difficult to decide immediately whether Nepal will make an exception for Macau.

 

Although the proposition is aimed at supporting tourism, it could also help create employment opportunities, said Sudarshan Thapa Magar, president of the Non-Resident Nepali Association in Macau.

 

Presently, Nepal offers on-arrival visa for Macau citizens. Macau offered similar concession to Nepali citizens until 2010, when it suspended the programme for Nepal and five other nations as a measure to deal with illegal migration and drug smuggling. With tourism as its economic mainstay, Macau is considered an attractive destination for migrant workers. Currently, there are around 2,200 Nepalis engaged in various professions in Macau.