MOSCOW, October 21. /TASS/. Russia is interested in establishing a permanent visa-free travel mechanism with China, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said.

"We have decided to extend the visa-free regime for another year: the president issued a corresponding decree in response to the steps taken by our Chinese friends. For now, we are proceeding with annual extensions, but we have also stated that we are interested in negotiations on a permanent visa-free travel mechanism," the senior diplomat told Izvestia.

On December 1, 2025, the Russian president signed a decree allowing Chinese citizens to visit Russia without visas for stays of up to 30 days, on a reciprocal basis, until September 14, 2026. China had previously introduced a similar visa-free regime for Russian citizens. The two sides subsequently extended visa-free entry privileges for each other’s citizens until the end of 2027. Chinese Ambassador to Moscow Zhang Hanhui previously reported that the number of Chinese tourists visiting Russia rose by nearly 50% in the first quarter of 2026 following the abolition of visa requirements.