Nation to provide more efficient, convenient immigration services

China aims to provide more efficient and convenient immigration services, especially after a record number of foreigners entered and exited the country in 2018, immigration authorities said.

Foreigners entered and exited the country more than 95 million times in 2018, up 11.6 percent year-on-year, according to the National Immigration Administration. China has become a popular destination, particularly for visitors from South Korea, Japan, the United States and Russia, the administration said.

Foreigners entered China more than 100,000 times via 72 hour and 144 hour visa-free stopovers in 2018, an increase of 23.9 percent year-on-year, it added. The visa-free policy has been introduced in many Chinese cities to attract more foreign visitors.