China sees surge in cross-border passenger trips in first eight months

Beijing [China], September 11: China's border inspection authorities processed a total of 499 million inbound and outbound passenger trips in the first eight months of 2026, up 8.7 percent year on year, official data showed on Thursday.
According to China Central Television (CCTV) report, off the total, 242 million entries and exits were made by mainland residents.
Among foreign nationals entering China, 23.72 million entered visa-free, accounting for 77.6% of all foreign entries and marking a 26.8% increase year on year.
Border authorities inspected 28.148 million trips by various means of transportation, up 15% year on year. This included 665,000 flight trips, 75,000 train trips, 306,000 ship journeys, and 27.102 million motor vehicle trips, up 0.5%, 5.6%, 4.1% and 15.6% over the same period of last year, respectively.
In recent years, the National Immigration Administration has rolled out a series of measures to facilitate cross-border movement of people and support high-level opening-up and high-quality development. These measures have significantly shortened clearance times for both Chinese and foreign travelers and transportation vehicles, while continuously improving port clearance convenience.
Source: Emirates News Agency