Tourists from Russia select cultural and creative products at a bookstore in Jiangbei District of Ningbo City, east China's Zhejiang province, July 28, 2026. Thanks to the visa-free entry policies, China has witnessed an increasing number of foreign tourists visiting China this summer.  (Xinhua/Jiang Han)

China saw 192 million passenger entries and exits at its borders in the third quarter of this year, up 7.9 percent year-on-year, the National Immigration Administration said on Monday, with visa-free foreign arrivals jumping 24.1 percent from a year earlier.

Of all inbound foreign visitors, 8.992 million entered under visa-waiver arrangements, accounting for 77.5 percent of total foreign arrivals and marking a 24.1 percent year-on-year increase.

Russia, South Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, the US, Mongolia, Japan, Singapore, Thailand and Australia formed the top 10 source markets for foreign visitors to China. Travelers from these ten nations made up 63.9 percent of all inbound foreign arrivals.

Chinese immigration authorities inspected 10.955 million inbound and outbound transport vehicles in the third quarter, a 10.6 percent rise year-on-year. During the quarter, authorities issued 5.338 million ordinary passports, alongside 603,000 visas and related documents for foreign nationals.

Global Times