BEIJING, September 3. /TASS/. Russia and China intend to expand mutual tourist flows and exceed the pre-pandemic level of 4 mln travelers, facilitated in part by visa-free regime, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko told TASS during President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Beijing.
"Currently, the joint tourist flow stands at 2.7 mln travelers. We have learned that the Chinese side is introducing visa-free entry. In our case, the electronic visa now allows stays of up to 30 days, and a large number of Chinese tourists are already making use of this very convenient service," the Deputy Prime Minister said.
He added, however, that the goal remains "to reach and exceed the pre-pandemic level." "We are not there yet - it was about 4 mln [tourists]. I believe the potential is enormous, primarily from the Chinese side, since at present, believe it or not, even more Russian tourists are traveling to China than Chinese tourists to Russia. All the necessary conditions will now be in place for this to change," Chernyshenko emphasized.
As TASS was told by Chernyshenko’s office, in the first half of 2025, the tourist flow between Russia and China amounted to about 1.4 mln trips, which is 20% more than the figures for the same period last year.
Earlier, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun announced that beginning September 15, Chinese authorities would introduce a visa-free regime for Russian citizens holding ordinary foreign passports, valid for up to 30 days.
Russia’s electronic visa grants entry and stay rights to citizens of 64 foreign states as per the list approved by the government. The Russian Foreign Ministry previously reported that as of mid-July, 404,000 electronic visas had been issued for 2025. Chernyshenko's office told TASS that over 7 months of this year, more than 192,000 Chinese citizens have obtained an electronic visa to the Russian Federation.