Visa-free extension spurs travel

Driven by the optimization of the China-Russia visa-free policy and the expansion of round-trip flight capacity, the number of inbound and outbound Russian nationals at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport saw a significant surge in the first five months of this year, the latest data showed.

According to statistics from the Guangzhou Baiyun Entry-Exit Border Inspection Station, from January to May, the airport handled over 210,000 entry and exit trips by Russian nationals, marking a 110 percent year-on-year increase, and setting a new record for the period.

The unilateral visa-free policy is the primary driving force. China in May officially extended its visa-free policy for Russian citizens to Dec 31, 2027, significantly reducing the time and economic costs for Russian citizens traveling to China and stimulating enthusiasm for cross-border travel.

Data showed that in the first five months, the airport inspected over 100,000 visa-free entries by Russian nationals, accounting for 90 percent of the total Russian inbound travelers, with tourism and business stated as the main purposes of travel.

Russian Ambassador to China Igor Morgulov said that the Russia-China visa-free regime provides a tremendous opportunity to strengthen ties between the peoples of the two countries, and he invited Chinese people to visit Russia to enjoy its beautiful scenery.

Morgulov said he believes that the visa-free policy has not only substantially increased interest in mutual visits between Russia and China, but has also already had a significant impact on tourist numbers."These measures will not only promote tourism exchanges but also foster closer communication between the peoples of our two countries," he said.

The continued boom in Russian nationals visiting China is inseparable from the support of continuously expanding aviation capacity. Since January this year, flight routes between Guangzhou and Moscow have been consistently increased, with three additional flights per week, bringing the total to 19 weekly flights. This has greatly enhanced the convenience of cross-border travel for visitors from both countries.

To facilitate the implementation of these convenient policies, the Guangzhou Baiyun Entry-Exit Border Inspection Station has relied on big data to forecast passenger flows and dynamically optimize channel configurations. It has explored zoned inspection for foreigners to achieve "immediate processing upon arrival and proactive peak-shifting," and utilized a new generation of inspection equipment to boost efficiency, clearing the "last mile" hurdle for policy implementation.

Timofey Bordachev, program director of the Valdai Discussion Club, a Russian think tank, said that the mutual visa exemption between Russia and China holds profound strategic significance.

"The mutual visa exemption between Russia and China is not a routine border opening measure, but is built on a foundation of high-level political trust between both sides," Bordachev said.

Bordachev emphasized that the visa-free policy is a long-term systematic project that will create favorable conditions for deepening Russia-China bilateral cooperation. He also noted that this will enhance the resilience of strategic coordination between the two countries and reflect their mutual confidence in a shared path of development.

renqi@chinadaily.com.cn