With inbound and outbound movements hitting an unprecedented 369 million in the first half of 2026, China’s National Immigration Administration (NIA) has ordered frontier stations to “press the accelerator key” on digital clearance, Xinhua reported on 14 July. At Beijing Capital Airport, more than 97 percent of foreign passengers are now submitting arrival information online via the Foreigners Entry Card system. In practice, this has reduced individual inspection times to under 20 seconds and allowed the airport to process over 10 million travellers so far this year—30 percent more foreigners than in 2025. Along the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao land corridor, 19 ports, including Shenzhen’s Huanggang, Luohu and Liantang, have introduced facial-recognition fast lanes that can handle 27.6 million crossings a month. Officers told reporters that average “face-scan” clearance takes 10 seconds, enabling commuters to breeze through during the morning and evening peaks that once produced hour-long queues. Cargo traffic is also being streamlined. At Nanjing Port, a new “UAV + sniffer-dog + X-ray” inspection regime lets ro-ro car carriers load 1,360 Chinese-made vehicles for the Middle East without the drivers leaving the pier, cutting port stays by several hours. Similar “green channels” for bulk energy shipments in Fujian and heavy-equipment exports in Jiangsu are helping manufacturers keep to tight shipping schedules. For multinationals the message is clear: China’s border authorities are expanding smart-gate coverage and pre-submission systems nationwide. Global mobility teams should encourage travellers to complete electronic entry cards in advance, enrol for biometric gates where available, and monitor local port announcements that may affect clearance procedures or work-permit registration timelines.
Source: Xinhua (via Guangming Daily)
