China Opens Doors to Russian Tourists as People-centric Exchange Deepens

Imagine the frustration. For years, Alexei, a small business owner from Moscow, has wanted to attend the Canton Fair in Guangzhou to source new products. Each time, the process was the same: a lengthy application process, the wait for visa approval, and the constant worry that a minor error could derail his entire trip. The dream of easily exploring Chinese markets or even taking his family to see the Great Wall felt distant.But things are about to change. In a significant policy shift, China has announced a trial program that addresses this very challenge. As of September 15, 2025, the door to China will swing open for Russian citizens, marking a new era of travel and cooperation.Russian passport holders can stay in China for up to 30 days without a visa starting from Sept. 15 this year to Sept. 14 next year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Tuesday.The introduction of the China visa-free for Russians policy is more than just an administrative update; it’s a game-changer for tourists, entrepreneurs, and families alike, sparking an immediate surge in searches for flights from Moscow on Chinese online travel sites.Moscow to China flight searches almost doubled within half an hour after the visa waiver was announced, soaring by as much as four times at one point, according to travel agency Qunar. Russia was among China's top three sources of international tourists this summer, with such visitor numbers expected to soar once the new policy kicks in."China's main sources of inbound tourism are Japan and South Korea, but the number of Russian visitors is rapidly growing, and they are particularly fond of traveling to Sanya on the southern tropical island of Hainan," a deputy general manager of travel agency Spring Tour told media. He expects that lower-tier cities and unique tourist destinations will also grow in popularity with this trial visa-free policy.Over the summer holiday, the top 10 destinations in China for Russian tourists were Beijing, Shanghai, Sanya, Guangzhou, Harbin, Shenzhen, Xi'an, Zhangjiajie, Chengdu, and Hangzhou, according to Trip.Com data.Cross-border tourism has significantly benefited in recent years as bilateral ties continue to deepen. Chinese mainland residents made 1.04 million trips to Russia last year, up 209 percent from the previous year, while the number of Russian tourists traveling to China surged 115 percent to 1.5 million, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.Evgeny Kozlov, First Deputy Head of the Moscow Mayor's Office and Chairman of the Moscow City Tourism Committee, told the 21st Century Business Herald in a previous interview that the city has made various efforts to attract Chinese tourists. Moscow has opened accounts on most popular Chinese social media platforms, including Douyin, WeChat, Xiaohongshu, and Weibo, and it was the first Russian city to have an official page on Trip.Com.In 2024, Moscow held large-scale Chinese Spring Festival celebrations for the first time, with over 300 events taking place from February 9 to 18. Chinese-language signs have also been installed at Moscow's airports and major scenic spots. There have been over 100 restaurants in Moscow specializing in Chinese cuisine, Kozlov noted.China's trial visa-free policy for Russian citizens is "amazing news" that will change Russians' approach to travel in China, said the Russian Union of Travel Industry (RST), Xinhua reported, adding that tourist numbers are expected to surge significantly.The policy could boost tourist flows from Russia by 30 to 40 percent, the Association of Tour Operators of Russia said.Alexander Bragin, director of the Association of Travel Aggregators, said that the number of search queries for flights and accommodation in China has doubled after the announcement of the pilot visa-free policy.According to data from Russia's Federal Security Service, 836,600 Russians visited China for tourism and private purposes in the first half of 2025, up 38.5 percent from the same period a year earlier.As China expands its visa-free access to a growing list of countries, the nation is repositioning itself to be a more open and accessible destination for global travelers. Guo Jiakun, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said that “China attaches great importance to activating exchanges between the peoples of the two countries,” highlighting the people-centric philosophy behind the policy.At its core, this policy is a testament to the robust and deepening partnership between China and Russia. For years, the two nations have been aligning on multiple fronts, and simplifying travel is a logical next step in solidifying this relationship.By removing a significant barrier to entry, the policy encourages more frequent interaction not just at the governmental level but also among ordinary citizens and business leaders. This fosters a sense of goodwill and mutual understanding that paper agreements alone cannot achieve. It is a practical contribution to the "comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era" that both countries have cultivated, which have set a model for the world on building new-type international relations.Besides the visa-free policy, there have been a lot going on in terms of cultural exchanges between the two neighboring countries. For instance, a China-Russia people-to-people and cultural exchange event commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the Soviet Union's Great Patriotic War was held on Wednesday. The event was co-hosted by China Media Group and All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company.It is one of the hundreds of events launched within the framework of the 2024-25 China-Russia Years of Culture that kicked off in May last year. Cultural events have been and will be held in 51 Chinese cities and 38 cities in Russia over the two years.Other recent initiatives include the movie Red Silk, coproduced by Chinese and Russian filmmakers, that is currently showing in Russia and achieving great box office success, and a new version of the opera Eugene Onegin, created by artists from the two countries, that has just debuted in China.China is not only paying great attention to the cultural events between the two sides to ensure their success but is also committed to making its people-to-people and cultural exchanges with Russia sustainable in the long run, so as to strengthen the bonds between the two peoples.History shows that it is the mutual trust, mutual respect, mutual learning and mutual understanding realized through people-to-people and cultural exchanges that is the requisite for any substantial engagement between major countries and a defining characteristic of the healthy and sustainable development of Sino-Russian relations.