Inbound tourist spending soars in Beijing amid visa waivers, easier mobile payments

The Chinese capital city of Beijing has welcomed a surging number of overseas visitors for holiday and business trips.

Beijing's border checkpoints have recorded crossings surpassing 10 million in the first half of 2026, a year-on-year increase of nearly 10 percent.

The capital city has also witnessed a sharp rise in tourist spending, with over 110,000 tax-refund applications processed between January and June, a more than five-fold jump from last year.

Visa-free policies and easier mobile payments have also made self-guided tours increasingly popular.

Its upgraded mobile payment services have allowed international visitors to easily link overseas bank cards and regional e-wallets to mainstream Chinese mobile payment platforms like Alipay and WeChat Pay.

Inbound tourist spending soars in Beijing amid visa waivers, easier mobile payments

China leads the world in direct utilization of geothermal energy, with its geothermal heating and cooling area reaching 1.65 billion square meters, according to the China Geological Survey (CGS) on Sunday.

During the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026–2030), the country will focus on three geothermal regions -- north China, northeast China and the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, as well as four geothermal belts including the southeastern coastal area, to identify target zones for exploration and development, the CGS said.

Geothermal energy is a stable, low-carbon renewable resource with substantial reserves and high efficiency. China has long maintained the world's leading position in the scale of direct geothermal energy utilization.

China leads world in direct utilization of geothermal energy