China announces decision to extend visa-free entry for Russian citizens

China

China announces decision to extend visa-free entry for Russian citizens

2026-05-20 16:50 Last Updated At：18:37

China has decided to extend the visa-free entry for Russian citizens to Dec. 31, 2027, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Wednesday,

The announcement come as Russian President Vladimir Putin is paying a state visit to China.

At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Putin is visiting China from Tuesday to Wednesday.

"To continuously facilitate people-to-people exchanges between China and Russia, China has decided to extend its visa-free policy for Russian citizens until Dec. 31, 2027. Russian citizens holding ordinary passports who come to China for business, tourism, visiting relatives and friends or exchange visits and transit for no more than 30 days can enter China visa-free," said Guo Jiakun, the spokesman, at a press conference in Beijing.

"Under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China-Russia relations have maintained a high level of operation. China is willing to work with Russia to continuously promote the level of facilitation for people-to-people exchanges and inject more impetus into the development of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership for a new era," said the spokesman.

U.S. Department of War reduces Brigade Combat Teams in Europe

The U.S. Department of War announced on Tuesday that it has reduced the total number of Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs) assigned to Europe from four to three, returning to the levels seen in 2021.

This decision was the result of a comprehensive, multi-layered process focused on U.S. force posture in Europe, and it results in a temporary delay in the deployment of U.S. forces to Poland, the statement said.

Speaking at a White House press briefing the same day, Vice President J.D. Vance pushed back against media reports that the government had canceled a plan this month to send more than 4,000 troops to Poland, referring to the move as "just a standard delay in rotation" that is aimed at encouraging Europe to "take more ownership over its own territorial integrity."

In a May 2 interview, President Trump said the United States intends to "cut way down" its troop numbers in Germany, describing reductions that would go "a lot further" than the 5,000 personnel the Pentagon had announced a day earlier. Critics argued that the withdrawals are meant to punish NATO allies that did not join the U.S. military operations against Iran.