Batik Air has signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with YeePay, one of China’s leading payment service providers, to strengthen travel creativity between Malaysia and China through integrated digital payment and air ticket booking solutions.
The partnership supports the growing travel demand between both countries and builds on the opportunities created by the China-Malaysia mutual visa-free arrangement and the Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) campaign.
It also aims to make travelling to Malaysia easier and more convenient for Chinese visitors while strengthening Batik Air’s role in connecting China with Malaysia and the wider ASEAN region.
Meeting the Growing Demand from China
China remains one of Malaysia’s largest tourism source markets with visitors arrivals continuing to grow following the introduction of mutual visa-free travel.As more travellers rely on digital services, with this partnerships Chinese customers will have familiar payment methods, easier booking channels and a smoother travel experience from planning their trip to arrive in Malaysia.
Batik Air currently operates direct flights from Kuala Lumpur to more than 10 destinations in China, including Shanghai and Guangzhou, which serves both leisure and business travellers. Through the collab, YeePay will strengthen Batik Air’s digital payment capabilities and expand the airline’s presence in China’s travel booking network, making it easier for travellers to discover, book and visit Malaysia.
The initiative is expected to improve the overall booking experience while supporting Malaysia’s tourism goals under Visit Malaysia 2026 by encouraging more visitors from China.
Supporting Long-Term Tourism Growth
Both companies see more opportunities to deepen their cooperation as regional connectivity continues to grow through closer economic ties, and initiative such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)
Together, look forward to build smarter travel ecosystem that supports sustainable tourism growth while strengthening connections between China, Malaysia and the wider ASEAN region.
Batik Air Sees Strong Growth from China
Batik Air Chief Executive Officer Datuk Chandran Rama Muthy said China continues to be one of Malaysia’s most important tourism markets and expects demand to continue growing. He also said that Malaysia welcomed more than 2.17 million visitors from China in early 2025, representing a 35.6% year-on-year increase.
With Visit Malaysia 2026 approaching and stronger bilateral ties through the visa-free arrangement, he said the airline sees opportunities to make travel even more accessible and seamless for Chinese travelers. Datuk Chandran said the partnership shows a shared vision of building smarter travel ecosystem that combines connectivity, convenience and trusted digital services.
By making it easy for Chinese travellers to book Batik Air flights using familiar booking channels and payment methods, the airline hopes to create a smoother customer journey while strengthening it’s presence in the Chinese market.
He added that Batik Air will continue to invest in partnerships to improve the travel experience, expand market access and reinforce it’s position as a leading airline connecting China with Malaysia and the wider ASEAN region.
YeePay Expands Regional Travel Partnerships
YeePay Co-Founder Yu Chen said this collaboration is a important milestone in the company’s global airline services. Backed by more than 20 years of experience in aviation, and travel payments, he said YeePay will continue to improve it’s fully-scenario, mulit-currency and multi-country digital travel solutions. The company looks forward to work with more international airlines as they expand into the Chinese market.
He said YeePay hopes to strengthen travel connectivity between China and Malaysia, as well as China and Southeast Asia while helping unlock more opportunities for regional tourism growth and building a more open and mutually beneficial aviation ecosystem.
