China reports over 50% surge in visa-free foreigner entries in first 8 months

BEIJING -- China saw visa-free entries by foreign nationals surge 52.1 percent year on year to 15.89 million from January to August 2025, the National Immigration Administration (NIA) said Thursday.

During the same period, border inspection agencies processed 51.27 million foreigner entries and exits, up 27.8 percent from a year earlier, with visa-free arrivals accounting for 62.1 percent of the total entries, the NIA added.

Overall, the country recorded 460 million entries and exits, marking a year-on-year rise of 14.9 percent.

The administration pledged to streamline procedures to make cross-border travel more convenient and efficient for both domestic and foreign travelers.