Xinhua News, Beijing, January 14 (Reporter Ren Qinqin) – In 2024, China’s immigration management authorities recorded a total of 610 million border crossings, marking an increase of 43.9% compared to the previous year. This total includes 291 million crossings by mainland residents, 254 million by Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan residents, and 64.88 million by foreigners, with respective increases of 41.3%, 38.8%, and 82.9%.
Among these, the number of foreign nationals entering China without a visa at various ports of entry reached 20.115 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 112.3%.
The National Immigration Administration released key data regarding immigration management for 2024 on January 14. Over the year, a total of 2.597 million foreign visas were issued, up 52.3% from the previous year. Among these, 1.476 million visas were issued at border checkpoints, a growth of 87.3%. Additionally, 72,000 foreign nationals in China received assistance with visa extensions or reissues at local service centers. The number of people benefiting from the transit visa exemption policy increased by 113.5%, especially after the policy was fully relaxed and optimized, with a 29.5% increase in those using it to enter China.
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Throughout the year, China’s immigration authorities inspected a total of 32.566 million transportation vehicles (aircraft, trains, ships, and vehicles) crossing the border, up 38.8%. This included 879,000 flights, 101,000 trains, 437,000 ships, and 31.149 million vehicles, with increases of 62.6%, 11%, 8.2%, and 38.9%, respectively.
In pilot cities such as Beijing, a new “full-process online service” was introduced, enabling mainland residents to renew or replace ordinary passports and documents for travel to Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, without needing to visit a service center. In 2024, a total of 23.319 million ordinary passports were issued, along with 94.514 million travel endorsements for mainland residents traveling to Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, marking year-on-year increases of 26.5% and 9.8%, respectively.
The National Immigration Administration’s government service platform provided 130 million services for domestic and foreign border-crossing individuals, including information inquiries. The 12367 service hotline received 7.084 million calls from both domestic and foreign individuals, providing consultation, suggestions, and feedback, with an average satisfaction rate of 99.36%.
Throughout the year, over 35,000 cases of border-related crimes were investigated, resulting in the arrest of 79,000 criminal suspects and the dismantling of 906 criminal gangs. Notably, 518 fugitive criminals on the “Capture Snake” wanted list were apprehended. Authorities also seized 494 drug trafficking cases involving 653 individuals, including 105 cases with drug amounts exceeding 10 kilograms, and confiscated a total of 7.8 tons of various drugs. In addition, over 2,000 firearms and more than 100,000 rounds of ammunition were seized.
Looking ahead, the National Immigration Administration will focus on services to support high-level opening-up and high-quality development, steadily expand institutional openness, continue to release the benefits of visa-free policies, and further ease the movement of people between China and the rest of the world.
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