According to the statistics from the Horgos entry-exit border checkpoint, since the implementation of the China-Kazakhstan mutual visa-free policy one year ago, a total of 1.32 million inbound and outbound passengers have been processed at the Horgos port, representing a year-on-year increase of 123 percent. Among them, there were 740,000 domestic passengers and 580,000 foreign ones.

2024 marks the Kazakhstan tourism year in China. With the implementation of the visa-free policy between China and Kazakhstan, the exchanges between citizens of the two countries have become increasingly close. At the Horgos highway port, a large number of domestic and foreign tourists take international buses back and forth between China and Kazakhstan every day for cross-border tourism, visiting relatives and friends and having business exchanges.

“Since the implementation of visa-free policy between China and Kazakhstan, it is very convenient to travel to Kazakhstan without applying for a visa. I am very interested in Kazakhstan cultures and want to see different customs and practices," said Du Kefeng, a tourist from Urumqi, capital city of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Liang Hao, manager of Horgos Haocheng International Freight Agency Co., Ltd., said,"I am doing commercial vehicle export business. I’m going to meet my customers in Almaty, Kazakhstan today，and I expect to come back as soon as we sign a contract. The mutual visa-free policy makes our entry and exit very convenient and fast."

Zhang Jing, manager of Xinjiang Hongqiyu International Trade Co., Ltd., said, "I mainly do foreign trade business, and now the visa-free policy between Kazakhstan and China is very convenient for our trade. I also hope that in the future, the trade will be more and more frequent, and the friendship between China and Kazakhstan will become better and better."

In order to ensure the safety and order of a large number of entry-exit passengers, the Horgos entry-exit border checkpoint has launched various measures. "Since the implementation of the visa-free policy between China and Kazakhstan, more and more passengers have entered and exited through the Horgos Port, with a maximum of more than 6,800 people a day. In order to effectively cope with the peak passenger flow, we scientifically adjusted the service mode, closely monitored the flow changes, and properly handled the flow of entry-exit personnel during the peak period to ensure efficient and smooth customs clearance for the vast number of passengers," said Zhang Jun, an instructor of the fourth duty team of the Horgos entry-exit border checkpoint.

Under the mutual visa-free policy, more and more businesspeople from Kazakhstan are conducting trade between China and Kazakhstan. "Now it's much more convenient than before with visa-free policy. In the past, we could only go to one city, but now we can visit more," said a businesswoman from Almaty, Kazakhstan.

The significant increase in arrivals and departures has not only driven the development of local tourism, but also deepened the cultural and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

(The Media Convergence Center of Horgos City, Reporters: Li Ming and Yong Chengfan)