In Numbers: China reports 26.8% rise in visa-free foreign entries in the first eight months of 2026

China recorded 23.72 million visa-free foreign entries in the first eight months of 2026, up 26.8% year on year and accounting for 77.6% of all foreign arrivals.

Border inspection authorities nationwide processed 499 million cross-border trips during the January-August period, up 8.7% year on year. This included 242 million trips by mainland residents, 196 million by residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and 61.287 million by foreign nationals, up 10%, 8.9% and 19.5% respectively.

A total of 28.148 million cross-border transport movements were inspected, up 15% year on year. The total included 665,000 aircraft movements (up 0.5%), 75,000 train movements (up 5.6%), 306,000 ship movements (up 4.1%) and 27.102 million motor vehicle movements (up 15.6%).