Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
Moscow, December 18 (Xinhua) — The introduction of a visa-free regime between China and Russia opens new opportunities not only for tourism and business but also for deepening mutual understanding between the peoples of the two countries. Xinhua correspondents spoke with Russians whose lives are closely connected to China to find out their opinions.
Moscow-based guide Dmitry Dobrolyubov is an internet celebrity on Chinese social media. Dobrolyubov noted that since the introduction of the bilateral visa-free regime between Russia and China, there has been a "quantum leap in market development" and a transformation of tourism services.
"There's a lot of interest from both potential tourists and hosting companies in Russia. There are so many wonderful new projects and new routes. There's a huge surge of interest among professionals in the Russian tourism market, a strong desire to do things better and in new ways, to create new, high-quality projects, and to showcase more regions," the guide said.
D. Dobrolyubov began studying Chinese and became interested in China in the early 1990s. He spent a long time working on Chinese-Russian tourism and lived in China for a total of 16 years.
"I lived the longest in Guangzhou and Yiwu. I also lived for a short time in Beijing and Shanghai," noted D. Dobrolyubov.
"I love China and the Chinese. I've learned a lot from them—about their behavior, their way of thinking, and their everyday life," he shared. He says working with Chinese tourists allows him to "see Russia through their eyes."
A new generation of Russians is also discovering China. Pavel, 27, works at a major bank in Moscow while pursuing a graduate degree. He said, "I decided to go to China to see two unusual places unlike many other cities in the world—Hong Kong and Macao." Pavel was delighted by the contrasts of Chinese cities—from modern architecture to ancient streets and natural beauty. "It was interesting to visit places I'd seen in Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee movies when I was a child," he shared.
According to Pavel, it's now convenient to fly to China, and given the country's vast array of attractions, visa-free travel was an obvious choice for him. "I'll definitely consider visiting places I haven't yet seen—the ancient cities of Luoyang and Xi'an, Mount Huaguoshan from Sun Wukong's novel about the adventures of the Monkey King, and Xizang," he remarked.
"It's wonderful that residents of our countries can now travel freely and conveniently to visit each other!" Pavel concluded.
On December 1, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree allowing Chinese citizens to enter Russia visa-free for tourism and business trips of up to 30 days until September 14, 2026, based on the principle of reciprocity. China had previously introduced a trial visa-free regime with a maximum stay of 30 days for Russian citizens holding regular passports from September 15, 2025, to September 14, 2026. –0–
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.