The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced its readiness to develop a visa-free regime with Russia

China is ready to continue cooperation with Russia on the development of a visa-free regime between the two countries. The official representative of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Mao Ning, said this at a briefing on July 29.

"The Chinese side is ready to maintain cooperation with the Russian side," RIA Novosti quoted her as saying.

Ning noted that the current mechanism of mutual visa-free travel has already facilitated mutual travel of citizens and the development of humanitarian exchanges between Russia and China.

In turn, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko said that Moscow and Beijing are considering the possibility of securing visa-free travel for citizens on a permanent basis. He also noted that the current visa-free regime has contributed to the growth of tourist exchanges.

Go beyond borders: Russia and China are interested in extending visa-free travel

Moscow will prepare proposals to Beijing in the second quarter of this year.

On July 20, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree extending visa-free entry for Chinese citizens until December 31, 2027. Also, on May 20, China decided to extend the visa-free regime for the Russian Federation. This initiative concerns business trips, tourism, visits to relatives and friends, exchange programs and transit.

In addition, at a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Russian president said that Russia and China would continue the practice of visa-free travel for citizens of the two countries. He specified that such a decision was an additional incentive for building up humanitarian contacts between the parties.