Albania and China have signed Tuesday an agreement on mutual visa exemption for officials and citizens alike. 

The agreement was signed by Chinese Ambassador to Albania Zhou Ding and Albania's Deputy Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Megi Fino.

According to it, no matter what kind of passport they hold, citizens of both China and Albania can enter each other's country without a visa.

In 2018 and 2019, Albania implemented a visa-free policy for Chinese citizens who arrived in the country for short visits during the busy tourist seasons. The following year, Albania allowed short-term visit for Chinese citizens without a visa.

The news was made public by the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama. 

"After 30 days, China opens visa-free for Albanians", he wrote on his Facebook account. 

"The agreement has been proposed by the Chinese side and will have a positive effect on facilitating movement and increasing contacts between the citizens of both countries, as well as serve as a further incentive for strengthening bilateral relations in all areas of common interest", it was said, among other things, in the announcement of the Ministry. 

With the entry into force of the agreement, Albanians can stay visa-free in China for up to 180 days. 

Chinese citizens have had this opportunity to enter Albania with tourist visas since 2019. 

According to the data of the Institute of Statistics in Albania (INSTAT) for the month of December last year, China is ranked among the main trade partners of Albania: Italy (24 percent), Switzerland (11.1 percent), Turkey (7.7 percent) and China (7.3 percent). 

Imports from China have recorded a continuous increase, from 53 million ALL (over 45 million euros) in 2018 to 77 million ALL (over 66 million euros) in 2022. 

Previously, Prime Minister Rama stated that Albania expects more investments from China, while Chinese investors have shown interest in energy and infrastructure investments. 

On the other hand, the United States and the European Union have raised concerns about Chinese investments in the Balkan region, mainly in Montenegro and North Macedonia.