Russia

Putin proposes making Russia-China visa-free regime permanent

TASS English · 2026-08-31

AI SUMMARY

• What happened: Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed making the visa-free travel regime between Russia and China permanent during a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the SCO summit. • Why it matters: The visa-free regime has reportedly increased tourist flows between the two countries by 43% in the first half of the year, highlighting the growing economic and cultural ties. • What to watch next: Observers will be looking for China's response to Putin's proposal and any developments regarding the formalization of the visa-free agreement.

Putin proposes making Russia-China visa-free regime permanent The Russian president noted that visa-free travel had helped increase tourist flows between the countriesRussia’s President Vladimir Putin and China's President Xi Jinping© Kristina Solovyova/POOL/TASSBISHKEK, August 31. /TASS/. Russia is ready to work with China to make the visa-free regime between the two countries permanent if Beijing considers this possible and useful, Russian President Vladimir Putin said. "We are ready to work together to make the visa-free regime permanent if the Chinese side considers this possible and useful," Putin said at a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the SCO summit. He noted that visa-free travel had helped increase tourist flows between the countries by 43% in the first half of the year. 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Source: TASS English
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