Go beyond borders: Russia and China are interested in extending visa-free travel
Russia and China intend to extend the visa-free regime, which is valid until September this year, Maxim Reshetnikov, the head of the Ministry of Economy, told Izvestia. In the second quarter, the agency will develop its proposals together with the Russian Foreign Ministry. Moscow is also interested in developing auto tourism with China, which is currently unavailable, the minister added. Experts believe that countries will extend visa—free travel for one year or several years - it will not become indefinite.
Russia will prepare proposals for maintaining visa-free travel with China
The visa-free regime between Russia and China is valid in a test format until September 14, 2026. Both countries are interested in extending it, said Maxim Reshetnikov, head of the Ministry of Economic Development.
— We have just completed the first quarter in full. Now let's summarize the results. It is clear that we are interested and they are interested. We definitely need an option to save this mode in any form. The question is whether to consolidate this at the level of some kind of mutual agreements or to move unilaterally. In the second quarter, we will work out our position together with the Foreign Ministry," the minister told Izvestia on March 27 in Shymkent, where the Russian government delegation was staying.
Visa-free travel has now been launched in a unilateral format: China made the decision in September, and Russia responded in a mirror manner in December. However, as a rule, the visa-free regime is fixed in a mutual bilateral agreement, Alexey Maslov, director of the Institute of Asian and African Studies at Moscow State University, explained to Izvestia. In this case, first the foreign ministers and migration services of the two countries discuss the format, and then the agreement is signed during the summit. Earlier, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said that Vladimir Putin was going to visit China in the first half of this year.
The new agreement on the extension of the visa-free regime may also open the way to the development of autotourism between the countries. Moscow is interested in this, Maxim Reshetnikov said. Now Russians can theoretically enter China in their car, but in practice it is difficult: you need to pass a technical inspection, get Chinese license plates, registration numbers, as well as coordinate your route with the authorities in advance and travel accompanied by a Chinese guide. It is also difficult to get from China to Russia by car: only with special permission and as part of organized groups.
Beijing is unlikely to agree to the indefinite cancellation of visas, Maslov believes. According to him, the parties will extend the current regime for a year or several years. So, in November, the Chinese authorities decided to extend unilateral visa-free travel for more than 40 countries until December 31, 2026.
— China does not want to give any country special preferences, and it protects its borders. The Chinese are extremely afraid of the migration threat: the influx of people who will come to the republic to look for work and become marginalized. Today, there is not a single country with which China would permanently cancel visas," the expert said.
To clarify the format of the agreement and the timing of its conclusion, Izvestia sent a request to the Russian Foreign Ministry. The Chinese Embassy in Russia told Izvestia that they had no information about this. But earlier, the head of the Chinese diplomatic mission in Russia, Zhang Hanhui, called the extension of the mutual visa-free regime between Moscow and Beijing a completely natural process. He stressed that this facilitates the travel of citizens and deepens mutual understanding between the peoples of the two countries.
Visa-free extension will become a driver of tourism development
The cancellation of visas has led to a sharp increase in Russian travel to China. In total, the number of trips, including business trips, jumped from 1.9 million to 2.47 million in 2025, Dmitry Gorin, vice president of the Russian Union of Travel Industry (PCT), told Izvestia. Until recently, it was only possible to visit Hainan Island without a visa — a beach holiday in China was and remains one of the most popular destinations for Russian citizens. In 2025, they set a new record by visiting the island more than 505,000 times, which is 120% more than the previous year. Growth is expected again in 2026.
In mainland China, the demand for sightseeing destinations has increased among Russians. Transit through China remains quite popular, when after visiting this republic tourists go to Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia, arranging a whole tour for themselves, Dmitry Gorin explained. According to him, when traveling to China, Russians, as a rule, do not experience any particular inconvenience. Although you can't pay with our bank cards in the country.
The Chinese infrastructure is starting to adapt to the Russians, Alexey Maslov said.
— For example, many ads have been translated into Russian. If Russia created the China Friendly system several years ago, then China is creating it right now," he said.
At the same time, the tourist flow from China to Russia leaves much to be desired — in 2025 it decreased by 1.6%, amounting to more than 800 thousand. This is due to expensive air travel, problems with mobile communications and airport closures, the PCT believes. In total, after the pandemic, inbound tourism, including Chinese, has decreased by half, and it has not yet been possible to restore it. The Ministry of Energy has set ambitious goals, stating that by 2030 the tourist flow from China should reach 5.5 million people. To do this, it is planned to multiply the number of flights and improve the tourist infrastructure.
Today, the Chinese prefer to travel to exotic natural places: to see the northern Lights in Murmansk or the mountains in Dagestan, as well as classic tours of Moscow and St. Petersburg. However, in order to attract tourists, infrastructure in other regions should be intensively developed.
A good example is the Far East, where it is planned to open theme parks — special tourist areas where Chinese people can come for a weekend break. "For this purpose, almost 19 thousand new hotel rooms will be built, new resorts and ski resorts will appear. These are thousands of new jobs for residents of the region and a qualitatively new level of recreation," Reshetnikov said earlier.
Similar zones, the so-called bear corners, will appear in China for Russians. One way or another, the extension of visa-free travel is guaranteed to pave the way for the growth of the tourism industry and a closer acquaintance of Russians and Chinese with each other's culture.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
