The Ministry of Economic Development called the introduction of a visa-free regime by China unexpected.

Russia has not yet prepared a reciprocal visa-free regime for Chinese citizens. Nikita Kondratiev, Director of the Department of Multilateral Economic Cooperation and Special Projects at the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, announced this on September 4 at the Eastern Economic Forum 2025 (EEF 2025).

"Russia has not responded in a mirror manner to the introduction of a visa-free regime with China. Such a story requires additional serious study and is not currently being considered," he said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

According to Kondratiev, the introduction of visa-free travel by China was an unexpected step for the Russian side, which was not initially considered by the Ministry of Economic Development.

Chinese portal: Russia and China plan to agree on new visa-free conditions in June

The minimum number of people in a group for free entry can be reduced to three people.

The introduction of a visa-free regime for Russian citizens with a regular passport for up to 30 days became known on September 2. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation reported that Russia has requested additional clarifications from China on the conditions of entry as part of the decision on visa-free entry.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko, in turn, pointed to the potential of Russia and China for a twofold increase in tourist traffic. According to him, the tourist flow has reached about 70% of the pre-peak level with more than 230 weekly flights.

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