China records 7.9-pct growth in cross-border trips in Q3

Chinese border authorities handled 192 million entries and exits in the third quarter of 2026, up 7.9 percent from a year earlier, officials said on Tuesday.

Of these, 95.96 million were made by mainland residents and 73.14 million by the residents of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Macao Special Administrative Region and the Taiwan region, marking year-over-year increases of 7.4 percent and 6.4 percent, respectively, according to the National Immigration Administration.

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China records 7.9-pct growth in cross-border trips in Q3

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China records 7.9-pct growth in cross-border trips in Q3

Foreign nationals made 23.27 million border crossings from July to September, up 15.6 percent year on year, said the administration.

Visa-free entries by foreign nationals reached 8.99 million, accounting for 77.5 percent of all entries by foreign nationals, a 24.1 percent increase year on year.

The top ten countries of origin for inbound foreign travelers were Russia, the Republic of Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, the United States, Mongolia, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, and Australia, accounting for 63.9 percent of the total number of inbound travelers, the administration said.

Since December 2023, when China launched a trial policy granting unilateral visa exemptions to visitors from six countries, it has expanded unilateral visa-free entry to travelers from 50 countries as of September. The policy allows eligible visitors to stay for up to 30 days.

It also extended the visa-free transit period for certain countries from 72 or 144 hours to 240 hours in December 2024. There are 57 eligible countries so far.

Marine life is flourishing at China's first tropical marine ranch off Hainan's Wuzhizhou Island in south China, where a thriving coral reef system has drawn rare marine species back to local waters.

Recent monitoring recorded species with strict habitat demands, including ribbon eels and colorful sea slugs, confirming that local marine biodiversity continues to expand.

From 2010, Wuzhizhou Island began building China's first tropical marine ranch to restore underwater ecology, previously damaged by typhoons and fishing activities. The waters surrounding the island contain numerous species such as sea cucumbers, sea urchins and tropical fish.

A coral restoration program was launched in 2016. The coral restoration program has transformed Wuzhizhou into a model of sustainable marine tourism where ecological improvement and tourism coexist harmoniously.