The Chinese Embassy in Russia assessed the progress of the preparation of the visa-free regime

China and Russia are gradually moving towards the abolition of the visa regime. This was stated on March 7 by Charge d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Moscow, Zhang Wei, in an interview with TASS.

"We are currently discussing these issues, promoting their solution. It's hard to say when the full result will be. Step by step," he said.

Zhang Wei added that the issue of visa cancellation affects many Chinese and Russian agencies. Consultations on this issue will take some time, but, in his opinion, it will not take long.

An agreement on visa-free entry for tourist groups is currently in force between the countries. The Ministry of Economic Development announced the launch of the first such trips on August 1, 2023. Visa-free entry is granted for 15 days for groups of at least five people.

In the summer of 2024, Deputy head of the department Dmitry Vakhrukov said that the visa-free group tour exchange led to a significant increase in the tourist flow between the two countries. According to him, during the first year of the program, 580,000 Russian and Chinese tourists took advantage of it.