China recorded 460 million entries and exits at its borders in the first eight months of 2025, marking a year-on-year rise of 14.9 percent, the National Immigration Administration (NIA) said on Thursday.
According to the NIA, the country saw visa-free entries by foreign nationals surge 52.1 percent year on year to 15.89 million from the beginning of January to the end of August.
During the same period, border inspection agencies processed 51.27 million foreigner entries and exits, up 27.8 percent from a year earlier, with visa-free arrivals accounting for 62.1 percent of the total entries, the NIA added.
The administration pledged to streamline procedures to make cross-border crossings more convenient and efficient for both domestic and foreign travelers.
In the first eight months of this year, a total of 220 million cross-border trips were made by mainland residents, a year-on-year increase of 15.4 percent, according to the NIA.
Meanwhile, mainland ports recorded 180 million cross-border trips made by Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan residents during the January-August period, up 11.2 percent year on year.
China records 460 mln entries, exits in first 8 months
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is deeply concerned about the U.S. rhetoric suggesting possible intervention in the situation in Iran, urging all parties to pursue diplomacy and dialogue in line with the principles of the UN Charter, his spokesperson said on Monday.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that his administration is weighing "some very strong options," including potential military action against Iran amid the unrest across the Middle East country.
At a press briefing Monday at the UN Headquarters in New York, Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, conveyed Guterres' alarm over the remarks.
"The rhetoric that we've heard around the situation in Iran, which is concerning to him (Guterres), and he encourages all to adopt a path of diplomacy and dialogue," said Dujarric.
"We push for dialogue, and I think the [UN] Charter is very clear on your question," Dujarric said when asked whether foreign intervention might help resolve the crisis. The UN Charter enshrines core principles including the sovereign equality of all states, non-intervention in the affairs of other states, and the peaceful settlement of disputes.
These norms were further reinforced by the 1970 Declaration on Principles of International Law, adopted by the UN General Assembly, which explicitly states that no state or group of states has the right to intervene, directly or indirectly, for any reason whatever, in the internal or external affairs of any other state.
Protests have erupted in several Iranian cities since late December over the sharp fall in the national currency rial and long-standing economic hardships. The reported death toll from the unrest on both sides of the security forces and civilians is mounting.
UN chief urges diplomacy amid US military threats against Iran: spokesperson
