China busts over 5,000 foreign nationals for illegal border crossing

BEIJING -- The Chinese National Immigration Administration said Thursday that more than 5,000 foreign nationals have been investigated for illegally crossing national borders to enter China this year.

Border authorities nationwide have handled over 700 illegal border-crossing cases since the beginning of the year, said Yin Chengji, deputy head of the administration, at a press conference.

The crackdown on illegal border crossings has effectively prevented inbound cases of COVID-19 through illegal entry channels, Yin added.

Since the outbreak of the epidemic, 46 land points of entry and 66 border passages across the country have been closed, according to statistics released by the administration.