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China's National Immigration Administration reported a record-breaking third quarter for cross-border travel, with foreign arrivals jumping 15.6% year-on-year, fueled by expanded visa-free policies that now account for over three-quarters of incoming foreign visitors.

What is a key fact in this story? (1)

**China's National Immigration Administration** reported 192 million cross-border trips in Q3 2025, up 7.9% year-on-year, including 11.6 million inbound trips by foreign nationals (up 15.6%).

What is a key fact in this story? (2)

**Visa-free arrivals** reached 8.99 million in Q3, accounting for 77.5% of all foreign arrivals — a 24.1 percentage-point jump from a year earlier, per NIA spokesperson Lyu Ning at the Oct 20 briefing.

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Foreign arrivals in China surge in third quarter, fuelled by visa-free policy — SkimNews

By Straits Times Asia · Summarized & edited by Kapil Samant · 2026-10-21

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China's National Immigration Administration reported 192 million cross-border trips in Q3 2025, up 7.9% year-on-year, including 11.6 million inbound trips by foreign nationals (up 15.6%).
Visa-free arrivals reached 8.99 million in Q3, accounting for 77.5% of all foreign arrivals — a 24.1 percentage-point jump from a year earlier, per NIA spokesperson Lyu Ning at the Oct 20 briefing.
Mainland Chinese residents made 48.5 million outbound trips in Q3, up 7.5% year-on-year, with Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand and Japan among the top destinations.
The top 10 source countries for foreign arrivals were Russia, South Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, the United States, Mongolia, Japan, Singapore, Thailand and Australia.
New State Council exit-entry regulations took effect Sept 15, prompting nationwide registration of more than 1,200 agencies and nearly 6,000 individuals providing exit-entry intermediary services by Oct 19.
Immigration enforcement during Q3 included 4,432 investigated border-crime cases, apprehension of more than 12,000 suspects, and seizures of 1,880kg of drugs and 402 firearms at ports and borders.

Why it matters: With visa-free entries driving 77.5% of foreign arrivals and 8.99 million travelers using the policy in just one quarter, China's pivot to open borders for selected partners is delivering measurable traffic — though the Sept 15 State Council regulations show Beijing simultaneously tightening who can operate in the entry-exit services industry, registering 6,000 individuals alongside the welcoming headline numbers.