Kazakhs visiting in records numbers after visa-free agreement

The number of people entering and exiting through the Jeminay Port in Altay, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, has exceeded 100,000 since the resumption of passenger inspections in July last year, an immigration officer said in late August.

Chang Zhengxiao, a border control officer at the port to neighboring Kazakhstan, said the daily average number of passengers has increased from 170 during the early stages of the reopening to 500 in August, seeing year-on-year growth of 194 percent.

The implementation of a 30-day visa-free policy between China and Kazakhstan in November last year contributed to the surging number of passengers, Chang said.

"More and more people traveled to Kazakhstan for tourism through the port, with the number of passengers surpassing a record number of 700 on the busiest day," she said.

Jeminay Port has a trade history spanning over a century and is an important international gateway in western China, connecting with Kazakhstan, Russia, and Mongolia.

"The checkpoint directly connects to Kazakhstan, where travelers can easily reach Russia and Mongolia. It is the closest land port in China to these three countries," Chang said.

An Altay resident who required anonymity returned to the prefecture from Kazakhstan through the port in late August.