Foreign arrivals to China rose sharply in the first quarter of this year, underscoring the impact of the country's expanding visa-free policies and broader efforts to facilitate cross-border travel, the National Immigration Administration said on Friday.

China's immigration authorities inspected a total of 185 million entries and exits in the first quarter, up 13.5 percent year-on-year, according to the administration's spokesperson Lyu Ning.

Among them, foreign nationals accounted for about 21.33 million trips, up 22.3 percent from a year earlier, outpacing the growth recorded for mainland residents and residents from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.

Nearly 8.32 million foreign nationals entered China visa-free during the period, up 29.3 percent year-on-year, with visa-free entries accounting for 77.9 percent of all foreign arrivals.

By comparison, the number of entries and exits made by mainland residents reached nearly 91.67 million, up 14.2 percent year-on-year, while trips by residents from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan totaled nearly 72.5 million, up 10.3 percent.

Lyu said the steady rise in foreign arrivals came as immigration authorities moved to further expand institutional opening-up in immigration administration, coordinated with relevant departments to broaden the list of countries eligible for unilateral visa-free entry, and continued to improve services for overseas travelers.

As part of those efforts, the administration launched a pilot program in March for online registration of temporary accommodation by foreign nationals not staying in hotels in Chongqing, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, and the provinces of Hebei, Liaoning, Zhejiang, Hubei and Sichuan.

Authorities also continued to streamline applications for various entry and exit documents and improve the efficiency of government services. In the first quarter, they issued 406,000 visas and other documents for foreign nationals.

During the same period, the administration's online service platform handled 51.32 million inquiries and other government service requests from Chinese and foreign travelers, and its 12367 service platform also handled about 1.8 million inquiries from people in more than 100 countries and regions.

Additionally, in the first quarter, applications by Taiwan compatriots for mainland travel permits rose 11.8 percent year-on-year, while trips by Taiwan compatriots to the mainland increased 27.6 percent.

Applications by first-time Taiwan visitors for permits rose 4.5 percent from the previous quarter, and the number of Taiwan compatriots applying at ports for one-time permits increased 24.7 percent quarter-on-quarter.

Since Nov 20, 2025, the number of mainland ports authorized to issue one-time travel permits to Taiwan residents has increased from 58 to 100, covering 56 airports, 27 water ports, and 17 railway and highway ports. Lyu said the policy has made it safer and more convenient for Taiwan compatriots around the world to enter the mainland.