HARBIN, May 21 (Xinhua) -- China's decision to extend its visa-free policy for Russian citizens until Dec. 31, 2027 has been welcomed by business representatives from both countries during the 10th China-Russia Expo in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.
They expect the move will facilitate business travel, streamline accurate project cooperation and boost bilateral economic ties.
The 10th China-Russia Expo, which concluded on Thursday, attracted over 1,500 enterprises from 46 countries and regions, making it the largest and most prominent business platform for bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
Evgeny Bazhov, chief representative in China of the Russian Export Center, said the visa-free policy has made it much easier for Russia's regional companies and first-time exhibitors to attend exhibitions, visit clients and explore cooperation opportunities in China.
"Since the visa-free policy was introduced, business exchanges between Russia and China have become much more active. Easier travel has directly driven growth in business matchmaking, corporate negotiations and the number of concrete cooperation projects," Bazhov said.
Nearly 300 Russian companies participated in this year's expo, while the number of registered overseas buyers has exceeded 5,000, he added.
In addition to the rising profile of Russian enterprises, Bazhov noticed that many Chinese companies have shown strong interest in Russian food, agricultural products, daily consumer goods, IT services and industrial cooperation at this year's expo. He believes this would create more opportunities for Russian firms to expand into the Chinese market and establish long-term partnerships.
Elvira Kuskova, a member of the General Council of Delovaya Rossiya, said she attended the expo in Harbin under the visa-free policy.
Kuskova has focused on connecting with Chinese developers of digital logistics systems, e-commerce firms and manufacturers, while exploring cooperation in customs clearance facilitation, logistics efficiency and supply chain connectivity.
The visa-free policy has reduced travel costs and improved the efficiency of in-depth, project-based cooperation between Russian companies and their Chinese partners, thus she welcomes the policy to elevate bilateral business ties, she added.
Beyond the bustling business discussions at the expo, major ports on the China-Russia border have also seen increases in international travel, boosted by the policy push.
Heihe port, which faces the Russian city of Blagoveshchensk across the Heilongjiang River, has seen streaming inbound visitors shopping at morning markets, experiencing wellness services and attending local exhibitions.
Suifenhe port, another trade port in Heilongjiang Province, has launched diversified cross-border tourism offerings to welcome growing Russian visitors on self-driving trips.
Zhou Liqun, president of the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce in Russia, said optimized visa-free policies have fueled the growth of cross-border tourism, and expects it to foster new integrated business models such as wellness tourism, medical tourism and study tours.
Zhou said personnel exchanges between the two countries have risen markedly since the policy was introduced last year. Ports across Heilongjiang Province, for instance, have handled about 655,000 inbound Russian travelers with 311,000 of them enjoying the visa-free services, up 69.4 percent and 229.2 percent year on year, respectively.
Vladimir Ilyichev, Russia's deputy minister of economic development, said 3.3 million Chinese tourists visited Russia in 2025, and Russia aims to attract 5.5 million Chinese visitors by 2030.
Such enhanced cross-border communication is facilitating rapid upgrades of the border infrastructure between China and Russia. The China-Russia cross-border cableway, with an annual capacity of 2 million passenger trips, is scheduled to begin operations in August this year.
"The extension of the visa-free policy will not only promote cross-border travel, but also deepen bilateral cooperation in various fields," Ilyichev said.
