In this file photo dated Sept 15, 2022, wild smooth-coated otters are spotted next to Singapore's tourism icon, the Merlion, on its 50th birthday at the Merlion Park in Singapore. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

China and Singapore have agreed to implement a 30-day mutual visa-free arrangement and are in close communication on the matter, the Foreign Ministry confirmed on Thursday.

China hopes the arrangement will take effect at an early date, which will be great news for people from both countries, the Ministry's spokesman Wang Wenbin told a daily news conference.

The new arrangement will "enable more people-to-people exchanges, thereby fortifying the bedrock of our bilateral relations"

Further strengthening people-to-people and cultural exchanges between China and Singapore serves the fundamental interests of the two peoples, Wang said.

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Singapore's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on the same day that both countries will work out the implementation details and implement the new visa regime in early 2024.

The new arrangement will "enable more people-to-people exchanges, thereby fortifying the bedrock of our bilateral relations", the Straits Times quoted Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong as saying.

Personnel exchanges between the two sides were increasing, with flights between both countries recovering to almost pre-pandemic levels, he said at the 19th Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation in Tianjin on Thursday.

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In July, China resumed a 15-day visa-free entry for citizens of Singapore.