More than six million people have checked in and out of the Horgos International Border Cooperation Center this year as of Friday, a 75 percent increase from the same period last year, according to data from the Center.
Located in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the Horgos International Border Cooperation Center serves as a vital hub for trade and tourism between China and Kazakhstan.
The mutual visa exemption agreement between the two countries took effect on Nov. 10, 2023, allowing nationals from each country to stay in the other for up to 30 days per entry, with a maximum of 90 days within a 180-day period.
Twelve manual inspection channels and ten express lanes at the Center are open daily to accommodate the peak passenger flow that begins early each morning.
Data from the Horgos entry-exit border checkpoint shows that the Cooperation Center sees an average daily traffic of over 20,000 people, with peak single-day numbers reaching as high as 37,000.
Home to over 200 duty-free shops, the Cooperation Center offers a vast selection of products across tens of thousands of categories, from handicrafts and clothing to specialty foods and high-tech items.
As the largest duty-free shopping zone in western China, it also stands as the world’s first cross-border free trade and investment cooperation zone.
Thanks to the Cooperation Center's preferential policies, prices in these duty-free shops are lower than elsewhere, attracting many tourists.
China-Kazakhstan border gate sees 75 pct annual increase in passenger traffic
