On Saturday, Russian Ambassador to China Mikhail Margelov stated that a total of 1.6 million Russian tourists visited China in the first half of 2026. Since the introduction of visa-free travel, there has been a significant increase in the number of Russian visitors to China.
Commentary: The figures released by Russia make it clear that the mutual visa exemption policy is already delivering tangible benefits. Just in the first half of this year, 1.6 million Russian tourists arrived in China—adding to the over 20,000 Russian citizens residing and working in China, as well as approximately 20,000 students. The scale of cross-border movement is substantial. The surge in tourism is not merely about leisure travel; increased people-to-people contact fosters greater mutual understanding between ordinary citizens of both countries. Previously, President Putin expressed interest in exploring the possibility of upgrading the current visa-free arrangement into a permanent system. The robust volume of travel traffic observed today provides compelling empirical evidence to support such a move. Of course, exchanges are reciprocal—last year, more than one million Chinese travelers visited Russia. This two-way flow not only boosts tourism, hospitality, and consumption in border regions, strengthens the popular foundation for economic and trade cooperation, but also lays a solid cultural and social groundwork for the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Russia in the new era.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1876805536453898/
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