People gather at Singapore's landmark tourist attraction Gardens by the Bay. File Photo: VCG

China and Singapore have agreed to create a fast lane to facilitate essential business and official travel without a 14-day quarantine from June 8.

The Global Times learned from the official Weibo account of the Singaporean Embassy in China that six regions in China are included in the fast lane arrangement - Shanghai, Chongqing, Tianjin and the provinces of Guangdong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang where economic activities are gradually resuming since China has contained COVID-19.

All travelers must take a COVID-19 swab test 48 hours before departure and undergo another test on arrival while remaining isolated until test results are released, according to the embassy.

Under the agreement, travelers on both sides will be exempt from a mandatory 14-day quarantine, the Singapore government said on Wednesday.

It is unknown how many days will be required for quarantine upon travelers' arrival.

But "all travelers must adhere to a pre-declared controlled itinerary for the first 14 days of their stay," the embassy said.

In addition, Singapore residents must be sponsored by a company or government agency in China which will file an application on their behalf.

The move is part of China's efforts to facilitate foreign nationals to return to their workplaces in China as soon as possible with the country having been successful in fighting the coronavirus.

China's civil aviation authority has approved establishing "green channels" for chartered flights to the Chinese mainland. Eight countries are on the list: Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Switzerland.

South Korea was the first country to set up a "fast track" entry system with China, which has enabled more than 1,000 South Korean employees to return to work in China.

The first group of some 200 German managers, workers and family members landed in Tianjin on Saturday on the first repatriation flight of foreign nationals from Europe. The second group of another 200 German businessmen is due to arrive in Shanghai on Thursday afternoon.

Singapore was the first country in Southeast Asia to partly resume business personnel exchanges with China amid the pandemic.