The Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) announced on June 16 that it will implement visa-free entry for nationals of five Gulf countries, marking a further step in aligning with the Chinese mainland's broader opening-up strategy toward the Middle East.

According to an executive order published in the Macao SAR official bulletin on Monday, citizens of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the State of Qatar, the State of Kuwait, the Kingdom of Bahrain, and the Sultanate of Oman will be allowed to enter Macao without a visa or pre-entry permit. The directive, signed by Macao SAR Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai, will take effect 30 days after its publication.

The move follows the Chinese mainland's rollout of a trial unilateral visa-free policy on June 9 for ordinary passport holders from Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, and Bahrain, while Qatar has enjoyed full mutual visa exemption with China since 2018. With Macao now granting visa-free access to the five Gulf nations, the entire Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region is now covered by visa-free access to both the mainland and Macao, reflecting deepening diplomatic and economic engagement between China and the Gulf states.

An expert noted the policy demonstrates Macao's effort to remain in lockstep with the mainland's outreach and will likely foster closer cooperation in emerging sectors such as finance and technology.

"With Macao expanding visa-free access to the Gulf nations, we can expect not only a rise in tourism from the region but, more significantly, deeper collaboration in fields like financial services and technological innovation," Zhu Weilie, a distinguished professor at the Middle East Studies Institute of Shanghai International Studies University, told on June 16.

Zhu noted that sovereign wealth funds from various Gulf states have already established offices on the Chinese mainland amid broader economic cooperation across finance and trade, and Hong Kong SAR has also moved to seek closer ties with the Gulf region.

Earlier, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee visited Qatar and Kuwait to promote cooperation in areas including finance, investment, and innovation. Zhu said he expects Macao will follow suit, adding that the visa policy will facilitate exchanges with GCC countries and make it easier for their nationals to enter.

Previously, Hong Kong SAR had announced that holders of Hong Kong SAR passports could travel visa-free to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The visa-free stay for those visiting Oman was also extended from 10 to 14 days. According to the Hong Kong Immigration Department's official website, citizens of these three Gulf countries can also enter Hong Kong without a visa.

At a regular press briefing on May 28, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning confirmed that China has achieved visa-free coverage for all six GCC countries. Responding to a question about the announcement made during the ASEAN-China-GCC Summit, Mao said, "We welcome more friends from GCC countries to visit China anytime."