China’s National Immigration Administration announced on August 20 that, effective August 20, 2026, citizens of Kyrgyzstan and Vietnam will be eligible for China’s 240-hour transit visa-free policy and Hainan’s 30-day visa-free entry policy. With the addition of the two countries, the number of countries covered by the 240-hour transit visa-free policy has increased to 57, while the number covered by Hainan’s 30-day visa-free entry policy has risen to 61.
Under the announcement, citizens of Kyrgyzstan and Vietnam holding ordinary passports and confirmed connecting tickets with fixed dates and itineraries may transit through China to a third country or region without a visa. They may enter through 65 open ports of entry, including those in Beijing and Shanghai, and stay visa-free for up to 240 hours within designated areas. Citizens of the two countries holding ordinary passports may also enter Hainan through its open ports of entry and stay within the administrative area of Hainan Province visa-free for up to 30 days. During their visa-free stay under either policy, travelers may engage in short-term activities such as tourism, business, visits and family reunions. Activities requiring prior approval, including employment, study and journalistic activities, still require the relevant visas to be obtained before traveling to China.
Kyrgyzstan’s national news agency Kabar reported on August 20 that Abdu-Mutalip, director of the Foreign Policy Department of the Office of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, welcomed China’s decision. He said Kyrgyzstan believed the measure would help create favorable conditions for expanding cooperation between the two countries in trade and tourism. Kyrgyz news website 24.kg also reported on August 20 that China’s implementation of the transit visa-free policy would create new opportunities for Kyrgyz citizens to visit China. Kyrgyz citizens will also be able to stay visa-free in Hainan for up to 30 days, making it easier for them to travel to the province for tourism, business and other activities.
Vietnam News Agency (VNA), VNExpress and other Vietnamese media outlets also reported on the expansion of China’s visa-free “circle.” At a regular press conference on August 20, Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Hang said Vietnam welcomed China’s decision to include Vietnamese citizens among those eligible for the 240-hour transit visa-free policy and Hainan’s 30-day visa-free entry policy. She said Vietnam looked forward to further deepening people-to-people exchanges with China. Meanwhile, Vietnamese internet users have been discussing the policy on online forums, with many groups sharing the news across Vietnamese social media platforms. Some users expressed anticipation about traveling to Hainan, with several mentioning the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site and their interest in experiencing rocket-launch tourism and related sightseeing programs.
In recent years, China has continued to optimize policies facilitating entry into the country and release the benefits of greater travel convenience, contributing to steady growth in the number of foreign visitors. Data show that China recorded 22.914 million inbound foreign arrivals in the first half of this year, up 20.4 percent year on year. Of these, 17.815 million entered China under visa-free arrangements, an increase of 30.6 percent from the same period last year.
The impact of expanding visa-free access goes beyond growth in visitor numbers, also benefiting exchanges between China and other countries across multiple sectors. Wang Wei, president of Spring Airlines Group, told the Global Times on August 20 that expanding China’s “visa-free circle” would not only directly boost passenger traffic, but would also bring deeper benefits by promoting regional tourism cooperation, further opening up passenger-source channels in Central Asia, Southeast Asia and other regions, and facilitating two-way cross-border tourism. The policy would also support cross-border business and trade by making business negotiations and corporate visits more convenient and providing a stronger foundation for commercial exchanges, Wang said. From the perspective of businesses, he added, the policy benefits would further encourage the development and upgrading of inbound tourism products.
The policy has also received positive feedback from overseas visitors. Ferreira, a Portuguese tourist who had just completed visits to Chengdu and Shanghai, told the Global Times that visa-free entry had made the process of traveling to China much simpler. “The visa-free policy makes the entry process much easier. I have already shared my experiences with friends, and I would like to visit western China in the future to experience its natural scenery,” he said.
Aliya Mussabekova, director of the International Security Department at the Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of Kazakhstan, told the Global Times on August 20 that China has a unique appeal for tourists from Central Asia due to cultural similarities as well as the country’s rich and diverse attractions. “Visa facilitation is not merely a tourism measure,” Mussabekova said. “It also lowers the barriers to business exchanges, cultural interaction, educational cooperation, family visits and people-to-people exchanges.”
