Putin says Russia able to make visa-free journey with China everlasting

Elena Teslova

Russia is able to work with China to make visa-free journey between the 2 international locations everlasting, President Vladimir Putin mentioned Monday.

“We are ready to work together to make the visa-free regime permanent, if the Chinese side considers this possible and useful,” Putin mentioned throughout a gathering with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Bishkek.

Russia launched a reciprocal visa-free regime for Chinese residents in December 2025, permitting them to remain in Russia for as much as 30 days and not using a visa by Sept. 14, 2026. China had beforehand launched an identical association for Russian residents.

The two international locations subsequently agreed to increase visa-free journey for his or her residents by the tip of 2027.

Putin mentioned the visa-free association had helped enhance journey between the 2 international locations, with vacationer journeys rising 43% within the first half of 2026.

Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui mentioned earlier that Chinese tourism to Russia had elevated by virtually 50% within the first quarter of 2026 following the introduction of visa-free journey.

The push to make visa-free journey everlasting comes as Moscow and Beijing search to deepen people-to-people and financial ties, with tourism forming a part of broader bilateral cooperation.