China's General Administration of Customs (GAC) on Friday published 15 measures to further support the large-scale development of the western region in the new era.
The new measures focus on the construction of open ports in the western region, supporting the opening or expansion of ports in areas that have needs and meet certain criteria, and promoting the construction of smart ports.
Innovative facilitation measures should be explored for river-sea and rail-sea intermodal transportation, supporting the high-quality development of multimodal transport, according to the GAC.
Support will also be provided for the construction of international aviation hubs Chengdu, Chongqing, Kunming, Xi'an, and Urumqi among others.
Additionally, reforms such as the integration of comprehensive bonded zones and ports will be explored in the western region.
The newly introduced measures focus on promoting the development of characteristic and advantageous industries in the western region, while building up new quality productive forces in line with local conditions.
Chinese Customs issues new measures to promote development of western region
Chinese Customs issues new measures to promote development of western region
The number of temporary accommodation registrations of foreign nationals in Shanghai hit a record high of 7.139 million in 2025, up 49.6 percent from the previous year, the Exit-Entry Administration Corps of the Shanghai Municipal Public Security Bureau said at a press briefing on Thursday.
The figure, which had already doubled in 2024, points to a continued rise in the number of foreign nationals visiting and staying in the city, highlighting the metropolis's growing appeal to international visitors.
Shanghai also issued more than 200,000 visas and residence permits to foreigners for the second consecutive year in 2025.
Long-term permits, including residence permits, accounted for a share 10 percentage points higher than the previous year, reflecting growing demand for extended stays.
Officials said the increase mirrors Shanghai's expanding openness and improving services for foreign visitors and residents.
"In 2025, Shanghai processed 7.139 million temporary accommodation registrations for foreigners. Following a doubling from the year before last, the figure rose by another 49.6 percent year on year, marking a historical high in the number of foreign nationals coming to Shanghai," said Song Weiqi, deputy head of the administration corps.
Accommodation registrations are required for foreigners staying in China. In 2025, 94.7 percent of temporary accommodation registrations were handled directly by hotels, resulting in a convenient check-in process.
Among foreigners residing in Shanghai's residential communities, 84.8 percent opted for online self-reporting via a multilingual platform that offers efficient, flexible registration.
Meanwhile, to ease the surge in passport applications for foreign travel ahead of the upcoming Chinese New Year holiday in mid-February, the administration corps announced plans to extend service hours for residents.
Shanghai hits a record-high 7.14 million expat accommodation registrations in 2025
Shanghai hits a record-high 7.14 million expat accommodation registrations in 2025
