Premier Li Keqiang left Beijing on May 17 at the start of his tour of four Latin American countries - and he also stopped in Ireland and Spain. During this tour, the Premier was committed to promoting mutually beneficial visa procedures - and there was much good news.

In Ireland, Premier Li said that the two countries have agreed on mutual visa exemption for business and diplomatic passport-holders, and will also offer additional conveniences for businesspeople, students and tourists.

In Brazil, a joint statement issued on May 19 stated that leaders of both countries had focused on implementing existing agreements and legislative measures concerning immigrants and travel documents, and also on offering additional conveniences to nationals applying for visas.

During talks with Premier Li on May 21, the Colombian president announced that his country is ready to expand cooperation in tourism, and will facilitate visa procedures as a friendly gesture to welcome Chinese visitors.

And during a meeting with the Peruvian president the next day, the Premier said that China and Peru hope that simplifying visa procedures will boost the number of leisure and business travel between the two countries.

In Chile, the Premier welcomed the Chilean government’s efforts to exempt Chinese tourists from paying visa fees, and to facilitate visa procedures for Chinese businesspeople starting in July.