Ports in sci-tech hub of Shenzhen see sustained rise in foreign travelers

Shenzhen in south China's Guangdong Province has been seeing a record number of overseas travelers passing through its ports, with the city's reputation as a sci-tech hub and its upcoming hosting of the landmark APEC leader's summit making it an increasingly attractive destination.

The city will play host to the 33rd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting, with Monday marking the 100-day countdown to the gathering.

Data from the Shenzhen General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection showed that as of August 4, the number of foreign nationals entering and exiting Shenzhen's ports has surpassed 5 million this year, a milestone achieved 58 days earlier than in 2025.

The increase has been driven by an expansion of China's visa-free policies, while Shenzhen's standing as a vibrant center of innovation has also been enticing more visitors from overseas.

"I was an airline pilot, so I was flying in and out of Beijing and Shanghai a few times and the changes [I saw] were amazing. I always wanted to see Shenzhen because it's the future," said Jackson Wayne Phillips, an Australian tourist.

Of the five million visitors passing through Shenzhen's ports so far this year, travelers from the 21 member economies of APEC accounted for over 3.5 million, or more than two-thirds of the total, reflecting a year-on-year increase of 23 percent. In response to the surge of overseas visitors, Shenzhen ports have upgraded the online arrival card system with multilingual prompts and have introduced additional smart translation devices to better assist incoming travelers.

"We will continue to improve the port clearance procedure, optimize and upgrade the online system for foreign nationals' arrival cards, promote bilingual guidance counters and multilingual service measures, strengthen on-site consultation and queuing guidance, and at the appropriate time, open dedicated APEC channels across four categories of ports - air, sea, land, and railway - at eight ports," said Wu Sijue, a senior police superintendent at the Shenzhen General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection.

The 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, scheduled for November 18-19 in Shenzhen, will be China's third time hosting the event, following Shanghai in 2001 and Beijing in 2014.

Ports in sci-tech hub of Shenzhen see sustained rise in foreign travelers

Chinese box-office hits are making waves overseas, with animated feature "All Wishes Come True" premiering in Australia and the sports comedy "Kung Fu Soccer" making its international debut in Malaysia on Monday to enthusiastic audiences.

In Sydney, Australia, the event site of the story inspired by the legend of the Eight Immortals was transformed into a mystical "Penglai Wonderland," with many moviegoers posing for photos alongside characters. The film is scheduled for a wide release across multiple Australian cities this Thursday.

"It's such a typical Chinese storytelling, really funny, really fast, full of action, but there's a moral story being told there, which slowly unravels. I love the movie," said David White, an Australian sound editor.

On the same day, another Chinese film, "Kung Fu Soccer", held its premiere in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Distributors said Chinese films have long enjoyed broad popularity in the southeast Asian country, and the strong box-office performance of the movie in China has raised their expectations for its Malaysian run.

The film will hit 138 cinemas across Malaysia starting this Thursday.

"Actually, I was kind of impressed with how Stephen Chow directed his movie before. We watched like since we were young, CJ7 and then Kung Fu Hustle. So this could be another trilogy of him. So that's why we wanted to see it and the comedy of the soccer as well inside it, it was really engaging for us. That's why I want to watch it," said a moviegoer.

"Like Kung Fu or Shaolin things, it's just unique to me, it's very cool to me," said another moviegoer.

In recent years, a number of outstanding Chinese films, including Ne Zha and Dear You, have gained notable acclaim in Malaysia following their releases. The growing overseas presence of Chinese audiovisual works continues to foster mutual understanding and has introduced a wider Malaysian audience to Chinese culture.

Chinese box-office hits light up screens in Australia, Malaysia