Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin Discuss Visa-Free Travel at Bishkek Summit
· World · The Hindu, Bloomberg
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit 2026 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, to discuss a bilateral visa-free regime. Mr. Putin proposed making the visa-free travel arrangement permanent if Beijing finds it useful, noting that current visa waivers had increased bilateral tourist flows by 43 percent in the first half of the year. The current temporary visa-free arrangement, established on December 1, 2025, allows citizens of both countries to enter for up to 30 days based on reciprocity and has been extended through the end of 2027. Mr. Xi emphasized that the strategic guidance of both nations continues to strengthen bilateral ties amid an international landscape marked by increasing uncertainty.
Why it matters
The proposed permanent visa-free regime strengthens economic and diplomatic ties between China and Russia, directly impacting cross-border tourism and trade volumes between the two nations.
Read the original report — The Hindu
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