China Extends Unilateral Visa-Free Entry to 48 Countries and 240-Hour Transit Visa-Free Access to 55

By the end of 2025 China had granted unilateral visa-free entry to 48 countries, agreed full mutual visa exemption with 29, and extended its 240-hour transit visa-free policy to 55 countries, steadily easing travel for foreign visitors coming to exhibit or visit trade fairs. Border volumes reflected the change: in the third quarter of 2025 the national immigration authorities recorded 178 million entries and exits, up 12.9% year on year, of which foreign nationals accounted for 20.134 million, up 22.3%. Visa-free entries by foreign nationals reached 7.246 million, 72.2% of all foreign arrivals and up 48.3% year on year. International air capacity recovered in parallel: between January and November 2025 Chinese carriers' international turnover, passenger traffic and cargo and mail traffic all grew by more than 20% year on year, with international passenger traffic reaching 72.853 million, 16.6% above the same period of 2019, so the international route network has fully recovered and now exceeds pre-pandemic levels.