Premier Li Qiang’s 2026 Government Work Report, delivered to the National People’s Congress on 5 March, placed cross-border mobility at the heart of China’s economic strategy for the first year of the 15th Five-Year Plan.
The report highlights a 17.1 % year-on-year increase in inbound tourist arrivals in 2025 and commits the cabinet to “further raise cross-border trade and travel facilitation” in 2026. Concrete steps include compressing the negative list for cross-border services, accelerating free-trade-port reforms in Hainan, and “improving payment services so foreign visitors can use mobile wallets seamlessly”. The document also pledges to negotiate additional bilateral and multilateral agreements that “expand mutual visa exemption and simplify work-permit procedures for foreign professionals”.
For corporates, the most immediate takeaway is predictability: Beijing intends to keep border-opening momentum in place through at least 2026, giving headquarters confidence to schedule regional meetings, product launches and plant-commissioning teams on the mainland. Travel managers point out that every one-point rise in China’s inbound tourism index typically lifts premium-cabin demand by 1.3 points – a welcome tail-wind for full-service carriers that are rebuilding networks now that capacity caps have been removed.
![Government Work Report promises higher-level opening, easier entry and 17 % jump in inbound tourism]()
To navigate these evolving entry rules, travelers and corporate mobility teams can leverage VisaHQ’s online platform, which streamlines Chinese visa and permit applications and provides real-time updates on documentation requirements; details are available at https://www.visahq.com/china/
The Work Report also instructs regulators to “expand the pilot scope” of digital-RMB wallets for foreigners and to roll out universal English-language self-service immigration kiosks at the 20 busiest ports. Combined with the finance ministry’s plan to raise the duty-free shopping allowance for visa-free passengers, analysts expect a virtuous cycle in which easier entry fuels retail spending, which in turn justifies further relaxation.
Diplomatically, the message reinforces China’s shift from pandemic closure to proactive talent attraction. Officials close to the drafting process told state media that several European countries are in advanced talks for 90-day visa-waiver arrangements, echoing business-community calls for longer stays that match Japan’s and Korea’s regimes.
The report highlights a 17.1 % year-on-year increase in inbound tourist arrivals in 2025 and commits the cabinet to “further raise cross-border trade and travel facilitation” in 2026. Concrete steps include compressing the negative list for cross-border services, accelerating free-trade-port reforms in Hainan, and “improving payment services so foreign visitors can use mobile wallets seamlessly”. The document also pledges to negotiate additional bilateral and multilateral agreements that “expand mutual visa exemption and simplify work-permit procedures for foreign professionals”.
For corporates, the most immediate takeaway is predictability: Beijing intends to keep border-opening momentum in place through at least 2026, giving headquarters confidence to schedule regional meetings, product launches and plant-commissioning teams on the mainland. Travel managers point out that every one-point rise in China’s inbound tourism index typically lifts premium-cabin demand by 1.3 points – a welcome tail-wind for full-service carriers that are rebuilding networks now that capacity caps have been removed.
To navigate these evolving entry rules, travelers and corporate mobility teams can leverage VisaHQ’s online platform, which streamlines Chinese visa and permit applications and provides real-time updates on documentation requirements; details are available at https://www.visahq.com/china/
The Work Report also instructs regulators to “expand the pilot scope” of digital-RMB wallets for foreigners and to roll out universal English-language self-service immigration kiosks at the 20 busiest ports. Combined with the finance ministry’s plan to raise the duty-free shopping allowance for visa-free passengers, analysts expect a virtuous cycle in which easier entry fuels retail spending, which in turn justifies further relaxation.
Diplomatically, the message reinforces China’s shift from pandemic closure to proactive talent attraction. Officials close to the drafting process told state media that several European countries are in advanced talks for 90-day visa-waiver arrangements, echoing business-community calls for longer stays that match Japan’s and Korea’s regimes.
