China forecasts average of 2 mln border crossings during upcoming holiday

China

China forecasts average of 2 mln border crossings during upcoming holiday

2025-09-28 16:09 Last Updated At：20:27

China is expected to record an average of 2 million daily border crossings during the upcoming eight-day National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday starting Wednesday, immigration authorities said Sunday.

According to the National Immigration Administration (NIA), this year's holidays, together with favorable policies such as visa-free entry and the resumption of flights, have fueled robust demand for cross-border travel.

The NIA noted that ports nationwide are bracing for a surge in inbound and outbound trips between October 1 and October 8, with traffic peaks projected on October 1 and October 6.

For now, airports in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou City in south China's Guangdong Province have already seen a surge in passenger volume.

Beijing's two airport ports are estimated to handle over 500,000 inbound and outbound passengers in the upcoming holiday, with the Capital International Airport seeing a daily average of 46,000 passengers, an 18-percent increase year on year, and the Daxing International Airport expecting an average of 18,000 passengers per day, up 28 percent year on year.

The number of inbound and outbound travelers via airport ports in Shanghai is projected to reach 883,000. As more foreign travelers would like to come to China, the average daily number of inbound foreign tourists at Pudong International Airport hit 16,600, marking a year-on-year increase of 46.9 percent.

"In terms of outbound travel, passengers from the Chinese mainland make up the majority at Pudong International Airport, with short-distance journeys mainly focusing on traditional destinations such as Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and regions of Hong Kong and Macao. Meanwhile, a 12-day longer holiday, which includes three days of annual leave, has boosted the recovery of long-haul travel. In this regard, there has been a significant increase in the number of tourists to Australia and European countries," said Li Ling, a customs officer of Shanghai Airport border inspection point.

Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport has also been experiencing a surge in passenger traffic lately. It is expected to see over 400,000 border crossings during the holiday, a 15-percent increase over last year.

Japanese lawmaker criticizes nuclear weapons remarks as threat to regional security

A Japanese lawmaker has raised concerns over Japan's push to expand its military and its nuclear policy.

Responding to some politicians' dangerous tendency towards possessing nuclear weapons, Takara Sachika, a member of Japan's House of Councilors, said that Japan's push to strengthen its military, combined with what she called a misguided nuclear policy, not only heightens regional tensions but also directly threatens regional security.

"I think this is completely unacceptable. Japan is a country that has suffered atomic bombings and is one of the nations most aware of the threat posed by nuclear weapons. Yet such a country is openly discussing the issue of possessing nuclear weapons and even attempting to revise the principle of not allowing the introduction of nuclear weapons, one of the Three Non-Nuclear Principles. This is an extremely serious problem," Takara said.

Takara said the Japanese government's tendency to expand its military capabilities is completely contrary to the Constitution.

"From the perspective of Japan's Constitution, Japan should never have adopted a policy of ensuring security by strengthening military capabilities. Yet today, enormous effort is being poured into military expansion, and that in itself is a serious problem," said the lawmaker.

At a Diet meeting in early November 2025, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said that what she described as the Chinese central authorities' "use of force on Taiwan" could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, and suggested the possibility of armed intervention in the Taiwan Strait, drawing strong criticism worldwide.

Takara urged Takaichi to retract her erroneous remarks as soon as possible.

"I think there is a very big problem with making such remarks that provoke other countries. It is necessary to thoroughly examine the facts as soon as possible and withdraw the relevant remarks," she said.