Beijing-style sensitivity: China has agreed to extend visa-free travel with Russia for a year

China has notified the Russian side of its readiness to extend the visa-free regime for Russians for one year, the Russian Foreign Ministry told Izvestia. In this case, it will be valid until mid-September 2027. This will increase the tourist flow, expand the geography of travel and attract new Chinese investments in Russia, experts say. Why both countries are interested in maintaining open borders and where Russians and Chinese like to travel is in the Izvestia article.

Russia and China are negotiating to extend visa-free travel

The visa-free regime for Russian citizens to travel to China may be extended for a year, the Russian Foreign Ministry told Izvestia. That is, until September 2027.

— Our partners have already notified us of their readiness to extend the visa-free regime for Russians for another year. Together with them, we are working on the modalities for maintaining the order of mutual trips of citizens," the ministry said.

Currently, visa-free travel is valid in a test format until September 14, 2026. Thanks to this, today any Russian can travel to China for 30 days with only a passport. In response, Moscow introduced a visa-free regime for Beijing from December 1, 2025. The parties did not encounter any serious problems with its implementation, which makes it possible to negotiate its extension, the Russian Foreign Ministry stressed.

Earlier, the head of the Chinese diplomatic mission in Russia, Zhang Hanhui, called the likely 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.

In the future, Beijing is unlikely to agree to the indefinite abolition of visas, preferring an annual prolongation of the regime, experts believe. China has consistently adhered to this policy — there is not a single country for whose citizens the PRC has indefinitely canceled visas, but in November 2025, the country's authorities extended unilateral visa-free travel for more than 40 countries for a year.

— Visa—free travel is a challenge to law enforcement authorities in Russia and China. There is a risk of illegal labor migration spreading," Nikolai Marchenko, a Sinologist and director of the NGO Eurasian Youth Projects, explained this position.

Although during the months that the visa-free regime has been in effect, neither Moscow nor Beijing has experienced problems with illegal immigrants, Alexey Maslov, director of the Institute of Asian and African Studies at Moscow State University, noted in a conversation with Izvestia. On the contrary, it can open up new business opportunities for both countries. In 2025, the interest of Russian companies in business trips to China increased significantly: the demand for business tourism increased by 27%, according to a study by Aeroclub. According to Maslov, it is important that Russian and Chinese businessmen learn to better understand each other at the level of business ethics.

Where do Russians and Chinese prefer to travel

The cancellation of visas has led to a sharp increase in Russian travel to China. The demand for tours to China throughout 2026 is almost twice as high as in the previous year, the travel agency "Fly.ru". The top most popular destinations include Beijing, Shanghai, Hainan Island, Guangzhou and Hong Kong.

If we talk about beach holidays, then this is Hainan Island. In 2025, Russian tourists visited it more than 505 thousand times, which is 120% more than a year earlier. There are direct flights there, and it is Hainan that offers the classic resort format: large hotel complexes, well-groomed territories, long beaches and sightseeing opportunities, Irina Manuilskaya, director of the sales office of the Sodis travel company, told Izvestia.

It is important to take into account the specifics: the Chinese themselves are not focused on swimming in the sea, so there may be no sun beds, and the conditions for swimming depend on the specific hotel — waves and currents are possible somewhere.

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.

— In practice, we always ask tourists what exactly they mean by a beach holiday: if it's walking by the sea and sometimes going into the water, the choice is wide, but there are significantly fewer hotels with comfortable access to the water and conditions "like in the Mediterranean", — the expert explained.

On the mainland, the main tourist center of China is Beijing. From here you can visit the Great Wall of China (there are sites that are located near the capital — for example, the Jiuyongguan Fortress), the Temple of Heaven, the Forbidden City, the Summer Imperial Palace. Shanghai is especially interesting for those who want to combine a cultural program, shopping and immersion in the atmosphere of a modern metropolis, enjoying its skyscrapers, embankments and international infrastructure, Kamila Velibekova, managing partner and founder of Premier Tourism, told Izvestia.

Tourists are increasingly adding Chengdu to the route for the panda Reserve, where animals can be seen literally from a distance of several meters, and also visit the "Avatar Mountains" — Zhangjiajie National Park with its glass bridge and funiculars.

One of the most common problems for Russians in China is the language barrier. According to various estimates, English is spoken by 0.9 to 5% of the Chinese population, and Russian is even rarer, Velibekova noted. Russians and Chinese actively use online translators to communicate. In addition, China uses its own payment systems (WeChat Pay, Alipay), which often require linking a card or a local phone number. For foreign tourists, this can be inconvenient and create delays or difficulties when paying for goods and services. You will not be able to pay with Russian cards in China.

Which cities in Russia are visited by the Chinese

The Chinese are most attracted to Moscow and St. Petersburg in Russia. According to Dmitry Matveev, CEO of Moy Avtoprokat, Russia is represented by the Kremlin, Red Square, the Hermitage, Nevsky Prospekt and Peterhof. Other centers of attraction were the sights of the Golden Ring, as well as Irkutsk with Lake Baikal and Murmansk with the northern Lights.

— The visa-free regime will contribute not only to the growth of the tourist flow, but also to the influx of investments. Chinese companies will start investing in the construction of hotels and other facilities. But the real growth in tourist traffic will depend on whether the infrastructure is ready and whether the service is adapted to the Chinese," Matveev believes.

Today, the tourist flow from China to Russia leaves much to be desired — in 2025 it decreased by 1.6%, amounting to just over 800 thousand. This is due to expensive air travel, problems with mobile communications and airport closures, experts explained. Nevertheless, the Russian Federation plans to change the situation: 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.

A good example is the Far East, where cross-border tourism is developed today. According to Maxim Reshetnikov, the head of the Ministry of Energy, it is planned to build hotels with almost 19 thousand rooms, new resorts and ski resorts in the region in the coming years. "These are thousands of new jobs for residents of the region and a qualitatively new level of recreation," the minister concluded.