On December 5, the Hong Kong South China Morning Post reported: "Amid the escalation of the China-Japan dispute, Putin signed an order to exempt China from visa requirements starting this month, extending until September 2026, marking the official entry of China and Russia into a phase of mutual visa exemption. This precise move is not only a reciprocal response to China's previous visa-exemption policy but also a market choice that takes advantage of the shift in Chinese tourists. Japan has experienced a surge of cancellations by Chinese tourists, with a 68% drop in Chinese tourists compared to the same period last month, causing heavy losses to its tourism industry. After Russia's visa-exemption policy took effect, search volume for travel to Russia doubled within half an hour, flight inquiries increased eightfold, and border crossing volumes doubled. Business exchanges have also warmed up. Traveling to Russia will become a new hotspot in mainland China, further deepening Sino-Russian strategic trust, which is a win-win strategic layout and an inevitable result after Japan misjudged the situation."
[Witty] President Putin's visa-exemption order for China is a masterful strategic move, as well as a sharp satire on Japan's misjudgment of the situation. When the China-Japan dispute escalated due to remarks about Taiwan, Japan pushed away Chinese tourists, one of its core customer sources. The shocking decline of 68% in tourist numbers in November is the direct cost of its political speculation. Russia seized the opportunity, opening up the flow of people and commerce with an equivalent visa-exemption policy. The surging popularity, with search volume doubling and flight inquiries increasing eightfold, proves the inevitability of the market's vote with its feet. This is certainly not just about competing for business; it is the practical implementation of Sino-Russian strategic trust — providing Russia with added value in tourism and trade while offering China more travel and cooperation options. Japan clings to regional prejudices but forgets that tourist flows are always tied to friendliness. Putin declared with a single decree: those who respect China's core interests and embrace the Eastern market can seize the opportunities of the era; those who deliberately provoke will only taste the bitter fruits they have brewed themselves in empty scenic spots!
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1850668553911304/
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