China's visa-free policies, 240-hour transit scheme boosts appeal among foreign travelers

China is drawing a growing number of international visitors to the country thanks to its expanded visa-free policies and 240-hour transit arrangements, making it a prime tourist destination for foreign travelers to stop by, enjoy its cultural charm, and even sample its delicious delicacies.

With the latest expansions in its policies, China now offers unilateral visa exemption to passport holders from 50 countries, mutual visa-free access to 29 countries, and 240-hour transit privileges to travelers from 55 countries.

The capital city of Beijing has become one of the must-visit destinations for many foreign visitors who are keen to experience its rich history, catch a look of its iconic landmarks and enjoy all that it has to offer.

Among those taking advantage of the visa-free policy was a foreign traveler named Julian. After landing at the Beijing Daxing International Airport, he passed through a fast immigration process via the transit visa-free policy to enter China smoothly. After handling all procedures at the airport, Julian chose to ride on the efficient Airport Express train to reach the city center, bypassing the rush-hour traffic during this nearly 45-kilometer-long journey.

After reaching the downtown area, Julian was eager to try arguably Beijing's most famous delicacy -- the famous Peking roast duck -- which he was most looking forward to before embarking on his trip.

He was amazed by the restaurant's 200-degree special ovens which roast the ducks to perfection, and enjoyed the mouth-watering taste of the ducks, with a staff member showing him the best way to eat and savor the duck just like the locals do.

Julian also explored the vibrant surroundings nearby the famous Forbidden City in the Chinese capital, where he saw the increasing popularity of traditional dress-up photography, as more people enjoy donning ancient outfits.

Beijing has been continuously improving services for foreign visitors, with one-stop service counters being operational since last year in the international arrival areas of Beijing Capital International Airport and Beijing Daxing International Airport, offering over 20 types of essential services in areas such as finance, communication, transportation, culture and tourism.

The city on Tuesday officially launched a comprehensive online service platform called "GO BEIJING", offering a full range of services for inbound visitors across different scenarios. Overseas visitors can access the platform via the international version of Alipay and enjoy 39 services in 16 languages, including ride-hailing, ticket booking and hotel reservations. The platform also features digital services such as an "AI tour companion."

Beijing has recorded more than seven million border crossings in 2026 as of Sunday, representing a year-on-year increase of 13 percent. The recent surge in Beijing's inbound tourism is partly attributable to the continuous optimization of visa-free policies.

Over the past year, China has steadily widened the list of visa-free countries, while extending its existing 72-hour and 144-hour visa-free transit schemes to a unified 240 hours. The upgraded transit policy now covers 24 provincial-level regions and 65 ports of entry.

China's visa-free policies, 240-hour transit scheme boosts appeal among foreign travelers

With the Pinglu Canal in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region officially open to shipping, Yangpu Port in south China's Hainan Province will fully leverage the policy and geographical advantages of the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) to accelerate its development into an international shipping hub, further connecting the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor with global markets.

The canal stretches along the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, a strategic trade route connecting China's inland regions with ASEAN and other global markets. It is the first river-to-sea canal project planned and coordinated at the national level since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

Located in the northwest of the island province, Yangpu Port is the deep-water port closest to the main international shipping routes in the Beibu Gulf, and is also one of the maritime outlets of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor.

The opening of the Pinglu Canal to navigation has opened up a new sea-river intermodal transport corridor for goods entering and leaving the southwestern region, and has also brought new opportunities to some enterprises.

At a petrochemical enterprise in Danzhou City, robotic arms are bagging and packaging chemical products on a conveyor belt, and these goods will be shipped to southwest China's Guizhou Province and other places.

Most of this enterprise's customers in the Chinese mainland are concentrated in the southwestern Chinese provinces of Yunnan, Sichuan and Guizhou. At present, the enterprise is adjusting its future shipping plans in response to the logistics changes brought by the opening of the Pinglu Canal to navigation.

"We plan to shift about 70 percent of our goods to this new sea-river intermodal transport corridor, and overall logistics costs are expected to drop by 30 to 40 percent. Next year we also plan to build another plant in Hainan, which will allow us to take advantage of the free trade port's policies, import raw materials from places like Indonesia, and after processing, sell the products to the southwestern region or re-export them. This is expected to add about 200,000 tons of production capacity," said Wei Jianqiang, head of Hainan Oxiranchem Co., Ltd.

Behind the enterprises' expansion of production and the busier flow of goods, there is also the upgraded service support made possible by the opening of the Pinglu Canal to navigation. In this regard, the relevant authorities have also made full preparations.

"After the Pinglu Canal opens to navigation, we will strengthen safeguard measures in areas such as facilitating the entry and exit of container ships on fixed routes, credit-based regulation, and cross-regional coordination," said Jiang Yufeng, head of the Xiaochantan Maritime Patrol and Law Enforcement Brigade, Yangpu Maritime Safety Administration.

Pinglu Canal underscores growing role of Yangpu Port as int'l shipping hub