Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
On September 2, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun announced that in order to further facilitate travel between the countries, China has decided to expand the list of countries whose citizens enjoy a visa-free regime. From September 15, 2025 to September 14, 2026, a trial visa-free policy will be in effect for Russian citizens holding ordinary passports. Russian citizens with ordinary passports can enter China without a visa for the purposes of business, tourism, visiting friends and relatives, exchanging visits, and transit for a period of no more than 30 days.
Currently, there is a tourism boom between China and Russia, and citizens of both countries are making active efforts to achieve this. According to the Chinese Embassy in Russia, in 2024, mainland Chinese residents made 1.0394 million tourist trips to Russia as their first destination, an increase of 209.3% over the previous year. In 2024, mainland China received 1.5035 million Russian tourists, an increase of 115.1% over the previous year. As Rossiyskaya Gazeta noted in an article on September 2, Russian tourists' interest in traveling to China is growing, and this policy is likely to lead to a significant increase in the number of tourists visiting China. Vice President of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia Muradyan said that the positive results of the new policy will "far exceed expectations." Currently, the number of Russian citizens visiting China for tourism and business purposes is growing rapidly, and this decision is expected to increase the flow of tourists to China by 30-40%.
As RIA Novosti reports, the Russian Union of Travel Industry on September 2 said that this move by China is a “very pleasant surprise” that will further change the attitude of Russian tourists to travel to China. According to information, this decision by China could significantly increase demand for flights from Russia to China. Currently, airlines from both countries operate about 230 flights per week. The most popular destinations for Russian tourists are Sanya, Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and other cities.
China's "circle of friends of visa-free travel" is constantly expanding. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu said on August 29 that China has unilaterally abolished visas or introduced full mutual visa-free travel for 75 countries, and opened visa-free transit for 55 countries, and "travel to China" continues to be in great demand.
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