As of 5:30 a.m. on June 15, the total number of cross-border trips via Beijing ports this year had surpassed 10 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 10.5% and hitting this milestone half a month earlier than 2025.

To date, China has implemented unilateral visa-free entry for 50 countries, which is generating growing dividends. Since the beginning of June, inbound and outbound passenger flows at Beijing ports have remained at a high level, with the number of inbound foreign nationals increasing notably. As of June 15, foreign nationals had accounted for 34.4% of the total cross-border trips, amounting to 3.436 million, a year-on-year rise of 31.5%. Among them, 1.259 million entries by foreign nationals were made under visa-free and temporary entry permit policies, accounting for 71.7% of all entries by foreign nationals. Most of these arrivals were for sightseeing, business exchanges or visiting relatives and friends.

A sinophile from Switzerland who has visited China several times praised the visa-free policy, saying that it is an excellent policy that saves travelers the trouble of dealing with visas and makes trips to China much more convenient. “Of all the countries I have visited, China is definitely one of the places with the most fascinating scenery,” he said.

“There are 24 of us in the group, and we’re here in China for a two-week academic exchange,” said a teacher leading a group from a UK university. “This is also our first time arriving at an airport in Beijing, and the customs clearance experience far exceeded my expectations.”