China sees 30 pct increase in border crossings in Q3

Border inspection agencies across China recorded 160 million entries and exits during the third quarter of this year, representing a year-on-year increase of 30.1 percent, according to the National Immigration Administration (NIA) on Friday.

A total of 8.186 million inbound trips were made by foreigners, up 48.8 percent from the same period last year. Of these trips, 4.885 million were made visa-free, a year-on-year increase of 78.6 percent.

During the three months, over 807,000 Chinese visas were issued for foreigners, up by 32.7 percent year on year, data from the administration showed.

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 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.

From July to September, Chinese immigration authorities also made headway in tackling crimes that undermined border management, handling more than 9,800 cases, according to the NIA.

Approximately 2.4 tonnes of narcotics, 35.4 tonnes of items for manufacturing narcotics and smuggled goods worth about 101 million yuan (around 14.21 million U.S. dollars) were seized by the authorities during the period.