China's visa-free policy pays dividends as overseas entries soar in 2025
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Shanghai, the country's financial hub, saw 2.6 million visits from abroad in the first six months of 2025, up 44.8 per cent year on year according to local authorities. About 1.4 million of them entered China under a
visa-free policy , more than three times the figure observed in the same period last year.
South Korea, Japan, the United States, Thailand and Russia were among the top sources of foreign arrivals, and the city's Pudong International Airport was top-ranked in the country for overseas traffic with 2.37 million entries.
The national capital of Beijing saw over 840,000 visa-free arrivals – double the figure from the same period last year – out of 1.49 million total entries from abroad.
In the southwestern metropolis of Chengdu, 287,000 entries were made under the visa-free policy in the first half of this year, up 120 per cent from the first six months of 2024.
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The southern island province of Hainan – now designated the country's largest free trade port – saw 663,000 foreign entries and exits, up 48 per cent from 2024. About 89 per cent came under a visa-free scheme; the province
allows 30-day stays without a visa for citizens of 59 countries, unique among Chinese regions.
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