Six months after China introduced a one-year visa-free pilot for Russian nationals, Heilongjiang’s border crossings have recorded 274,000 Russian arrivals—up 66.7 percent year-on-year—according to figures published by the provincial exit-entry administration today. At Black River (Heihe) port, Saturday morning hydrofoils now sell out days in advance as Russian families cross for two-day shopping sprees and hot-spring breaks. Similar scenes play out at Suifenhe, where local car-rental companies have added full Russian-language service desks and on-the-spot temporary driving-licence issuance. The surge has cascading benefits: the 2025-26 ice-snow season drew 1.5 billion yuan in Russian visitor spending, while the first Heilongjiang-Russia Super Snow Games attracted 24,000 athletes and fans, cementing sport as a new mobility driver. In response, 11 provincial agencies have issued a ten-point facilitation package dubbed “护航行动—全季护游”, covering everything from QR-code entry cards to cross-border medical-tourism fast tracks. Organizations moving personnel to Russia’s Far East should note the reciprocal upside: frequent-traveller programs negotiated by Heihe and Blagoveshchensk city halls mean Chinese businesspeople can board the weekend hovercraft with pre-cleared manifests, slashing border time to under five minutes.
Source: Heilongjiang Daily
