Russia Ready to Make Visa-Free System with China Permanent, Announces President Putin
BISHKEK: If it is “appropriate and beneficial,” Russia is ready to participate in the implementation of a permanent visa-free regime between Russia and China, said Russian President Vladimir Putin.
These comments were made by President Putin at the side-planetary-type meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Heads of Government meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Bishkek.
An increase in tourist numbers and bilateral visitors.Rise in tourism and bilateral visitors.
The Russian President says the visa-free regime has made a significant contribution to boosting tourist flows between Russia and China, as the two countries have seen tourist exchanges grow by 43 percent in the first half of this year.
President Putin stressed that Moscow is prepared to work together with the Chinese side on making the visa-free format a permanent one “if Beijing wants to and considers it beneficial.
Background on Visa-Free Policy and Extensions
On December 1, 2025, the Chinese government unilaterally extended its visa-free policy for Chinese nationals to Russia, on the condition of visa-free entry for Russian nationals for 30 days.
Then Russia and China extended the visa-free entry policy till the end of 2027.
In a previous interview with the Russian ambassador to China’s Zhang Hanhui, the Chinese Ambassador said in the first quarter of this year that the volume of visitors from China to Russia has jumped almost 50 percent after the lifting of visa restrictions.