China sees surge in entry, exit trips

BEIJING, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Immigration authorities across China had handled 39.722 million exits and entries as of Tuesday since Jan. 8 this year, up 112.4 percent year on year, the National Immigration Administration (NIA) said Wednesday.

Chinese tourists arrive at the Phnom Penh International Airport in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Feb. 7, 2023. (Photo: Xinhua)

China started managing COVID-19 as a Class B infectious disease on Jan. 8 this year.

NIA statistics showed that over 1.01 million exit and entry trips were recorded on Feb. 25, the first single-day figure exceeding 1 million since 2020.

The number of inbound and outbound trips made by various means of transportation totalled 2.487 million in the same period, a year-on-year increase of 59.3 percent, said the NIA.

Immigration authorities across China issued over 3.36 million passports; over 12.67 million certificates for travel between the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan; and 122,000 visas, stay permits and residence permits for foreign nationals; up 1,220.9 percent, 837.7 percent and 33.1 percent, respectively, compared with the figures before China downgraded its management of COVID-19.