Border inspection agencies across China recorded 4.885 million visa-free international tourists during the third quarter of this year, representing a year-on-year increase of 78.6 percent, according to the National Immigration Administration on Friday.
A total of 8.186 million inbound trips were made by foreign nationals, up 48.8 percent from the same period last year. In July, China issued new visa-free entry and transit policies, granting 144-hour visa-free entry to foreigners visiting the southern island province of Hainan via tour groups registered in the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions. Additionally, the country's 144-hour visa-free transit policy has been expanded to three more entry ports in central China's Henan Province and southwest China's Yunnan Province.
The NIA noted that border ports nationwide had taken active measures to forecast and control entry-exit traffic, operate sufficient checkpoints for travelers and effectively mitigate the impact of extreme weather on the customs clearance processes.
China sees 78.6 pct surge in visa-free int'l tourists in Q3
China's top diplomat Wang Yi met with a high-level Brazilian delegation led by Rui Costa, chief of staff of the presidency, in Beijing on Thursday, highlighting aligned development strategies, highly complementary economies, and shared governance concepts between the two countries.
Wang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, said that China and Brazil are the largest developing countries in the eastern and western hemispheres, respectively.
Under the new circumstances, the all-round strategic cooperation between China and Brazil not only serves the long-term and fundamental interests of the two peoples, but also sets a good example for the solidarity and coordination of countries in the Global South, Wang said.
China and Brazil are similar in their development strategies, and are highly complementary in their economies. In particular, the Communist Party of China and the Worker's Party of Brazil led by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva share similar governance concepts, said Wang, adding that it is the most valuable strategic asset between the two countries.
Costa said his country is willing to work with China to push for more tangible results through cooperation in various fields such as economy, trade, finance, infrastructure, green transformation, scientific and technological innovation, hoping the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership will enter a new stage.
China's top diplomat meets Brazilian delegation on bilateral ties
