China’s 20th Communist Party Central Committee concluded its fourth plenary session in Beijing on 23 October 2025, adopting recommendations that will shape the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030). Although the communique released by Xinhua focused on macro-economic and security objectives, officials familiar with the drafting process say the plan embeds a mandate to “optimize immigration management, expand visa-free entry and upgrade cross-border payment systems” as part of the country’s modern-services agenda.
In recent cycles Five-Year Plans have been the launch pad for game-changing mobility policies—such as the 144-hour (now 240-hour) transit visa waiver and the Overseas Talent Residence Permit. Analysts therefore view the 2025 communique as the green-light for a next wave: unilateral visa exemptions for more OECD countries, nationwide adoption of facial-recognition e-gates, and broader acceptance of foreign cards and e-CNY wallets.
From a corporate standpoint the biggest anticipated shift is the widening of the multiple-entry business M-visa to five years across all consulates, mirroring the pilot programme already in place in Beijing and Shanghai. Coupled with the Digital Work Permit currently under internal testing, China aims to reduce average permit issuance time for intra-company transferees from 15 to 7 working days by 2027.
The plenum also nodded to expanding Belt and Road connectivity, with language calling for “high-quality people-to-people exchanges.” Logistics groups expect this to accelerate new air-service agreements and port-of-entry upgrades, particularly along Central Asian freight corridors.
While concrete regulations will only emerge after the National People’s Congress session in March 2026, global mobility teams should flag 2026 as a transition year: visa categories, tax rules for short-term secondees and the compliance obligations of digital nomads could all change rapidly once implementing measures are issued.
In recent cycles Five-Year Plans have been the launch pad for game-changing mobility policies—such as the 144-hour (now 240-hour) transit visa waiver and the Overseas Talent Residence Permit. Analysts therefore view the 2025 communique as the green-light for a next wave: unilateral visa exemptions for more OECD countries, nationwide adoption of facial-recognition e-gates, and broader acceptance of foreign cards and e-CNY wallets.
From a corporate standpoint the biggest anticipated shift is the widening of the multiple-entry business M-visa to five years across all consulates, mirroring the pilot programme already in place in Beijing and Shanghai. Coupled with the Digital Work Permit currently under internal testing, China aims to reduce average permit issuance time for intra-company transferees from 15 to 7 working days by 2027.
The plenum also nodded to expanding Belt and Road connectivity, with language calling for “high-quality people-to-people exchanges.” Logistics groups expect this to accelerate new air-service agreements and port-of-entry upgrades, particularly along Central Asian freight corridors.
While concrete regulations will only emerge after the National People’s Congress session in March 2026, global mobility teams should flag 2026 as a transition year: visa categories, tax rules for short-term secondees and the compliance obligations of digital nomads could all change rapidly once implementing measures are issued.
