Passenger traffic through the border checkpoint in the Chinese city of Heihe has exceeded 1 million people since the beginning of the year. This is 56.18 per cent higher than during the same period last year and represents a record high for this period. This was reported by Dongbeiwang, a TV BRICS partner.
Of the total number, 505,000 people were departing (an increase of 55.21 per cent), while 495,000 were entering (an increase of 57.19 per cent).
In September 2025, China introduced an experimental visa-free regime for Russian citizens holding ordinary foreign passports. They can enter China without a visa for business and tourist trips, visits to relatives, exchange visits and transit for up to 30 days. On 1 December of the same year, Russia introduced a reciprocal visa-free regime.
Following this, residents of Heihe and Blagoveshchensk began travelling to each other’s cities more frequently and easily. Same-day return trips and cross-border visits to friends have become common.
“It is a great honour for me to become the one millionth passenger to cross the border this year. With the introduction of the visa-free regime, travelling has become much more convenient, and the service system is excellently organised. I often come to Heihe for shopping, restaurants and leisure, and I also invite my Chinese friends to visit Russia,” said Russian citizen Natalya.
In summer, the average daily passenger flow exceeded 5,000 people, while 509,000 border crossings were recorded during the season – 45.5 per cent more than a year earlier. This was reported by Deputy Head of the Heihe Border Checkpoint Guo Yunfeng.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin extended visa-free entry for Chinese citizens until the end of 2027, according to the Kremlin website. In May 2026, it became known that China, in turn, had extended the visa-free regime for Russian citizens for the same period.