BEIJING, April 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese border officers handled 163 million entries and exits from January to March 2025, marking an increase of 15.3 percent year on year, authorities said on Tuesday.
Mainland residents accounted for the majority of cross-border trips, totaling 80.27 million -- a 15.4 percent increase year on year, according to the National Immigration Administration.
However, the sharpest growth came from foreign nationals, who made 17.44 million border crossings, up 33.4 percent from the same period in 2024.
Meanwhile, residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan made 65.72 million trips, representing an 11.2 percent rise over the previous year, according to the administration.
During the period, border officers issued about 361,000 visa documents to foreign nationals.
They also issued 5.15 million ordinary passports, 24.85 million documents to mainland residents for travel to Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and some 569,000 mainland travel permits to Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan residents.
Authorities pledged to implement broader and more substantive measures to enhance communication and exchanges between China and the rest of the world.
The first quarter also saw continued progress in the crackdown on border-control violations.
Border officers tackled 2,851 criminal cases in this field, where they captured 8,402 suspects, dismantled 127 criminal gangs and 16 relay dens, and confiscated 388 transport vehicles and vessels used in illegal activities, according to the administration.
Authorities maintained a firm stance on crimes involving guns, explosives, drug trafficking, and smuggling.
From January to March, border officers busted 128 drug cases, seizing 888.4 kilograms of drugs. They also confiscated 201 firearms and 5,463 bullets, and seized smuggled goods valued at 70.87 million yuan (around 9.83 million U.S. dollars).
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