China’s inbound and outbound trips reached a historic high of 697 million in 2025, a 14.2% YoY increase, the National Immigration Administration announced on January 28. Mainland residents accounted for 335 million trips, while foreigners reached 82 million, with visa-free entries surging 49.5% to 30.08 million. During the year, the administration issued 20.9 million ordinary passports and 2.02 million visas for foreigners. It also expanded several visa facilitation measures, including adding Indonesia to the 144-hour transit visa-free policy and extending unilateral visa-free entry to 48 countries. Digital passport renewal pilots were expanded to 50 cities.
Related reading: Japan’s Chinese tourist boom slows amid simmering tensions