“We came to China for tourism, and the visa exemption policy is very convenient, saving us a lot of time and effort”, said a passenger from Thailand on July 9, who arrived in Nanjing on flight DD3104. According to statistics from the Jiangsu Exit-Entry Border Inspection Station, in the first half of 2024, the number of inbound and outbound trips made by foreigners through Jiangsu ports reached 173,900, a year-on-year increase of 179.52%.
Since December 1 last year, China has implemented a unilateral visa exemption policy for 15 countries including France, Germany, and Australia, and achieved full mutual visa exemption with four countries: Singapore, Thailand, Georgia, and Antigua and Barbuda. The introduction of the visa exemption policy has significantly promoted exchanges between Chinese and foreign travelers, greatly increasing the demand for cross-border tourism, business, and family visits. At airports in Nanjing and other regions, the number of foreigners entering and exiting has shown a steady upward trend.
“The benefits of the visa exemption policy have promoted the exchange of foreign nationals. In the first half of the year, Nanjing Airport saw 125,000 inbound and outbound trips made by foreigners, a year-on-year increase of 121.07%, among which more than 11,000 inbound trips made by foreigners without a visa, an increase of 4962.84%”, said a responsible person from the Border Inspection Department of Nanjing Exit-Entry Border Inspection Station.
According to the Jiangsu Exit-Entry Border Inspection Station, in the first half of this year, 346,900 inbound and outbound trips were made by foreigners through Jiangsu ports, a year-on-year increase of 54.59%, including 173,900 foreign travelers. “South Korean, Filipino, and Japanese travelers ranked in the top three”, introduced by Chen Xiangyun, head of the Border Inspection Department of Jiangsu Exit-Entry Border Inspection Station. Affected by the policy implementation, it is expected that the number of foreigners entering China will continue to grow in the second half of the year.
To cope with the continuous growth of inbound and outbound passenger flows, Jiangsu Exit-Entry Border Inspection Station actively responds to the facilitation needs of foreign nationals in customs clearance. Measures such as optimizing manual inspection processes, appropriately adjusting the opening of expedited channels, and providing convenience for specific foreign nationals have been implemented to further enhance the convenience of entry and exit for foreign nationals. In the next step, Jiangsu Exit-Entry Border Inspection Station will closely monitor the changes in inbound and outbound passenger flows at the ports, scientifically allocate law enforcement personnel, and make every effort to ensure the security and smooth customs clearance at the ports.
