Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for Russia and China to consider making their visa-free travel system permanent. Putin made the comments during a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday, August 31, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. He said Russia is ready to work with China on making visa-free travel a permanent arrangement if Beijing believes it is practical and useful. The visa-free system allows citizens to travel between Russia and China for short visits without first applying for a visa. Under the current rules, eligible travelers can stay for up to 30 days for purposes such as tourism, business, visiting relatives and friends, exchanges and transit. China first introduced the 30-day visa-free policy for Russian citizens on September 15, 2025, initially as a trial program. Russia later introduced a reciprocal arrangement for Chinese citizens. The two countries have since extended the system, with both sides now allowing the arrangement to continue until December 31, 2027. Putin said the policy has already had a clear impact on travel between the two countries. According to him, tourism between Russia and China increased by 43% during the first half of 2026. Chinese officials have also reported strong growth in Chinese tourism to Russia following the introduction of visa-free travel. The policy is not only about tourism. Putin described visa-free travel as a way to make business and humanitarian contacts easier. Removing the need to apply for a visa can make it simpler for people to attend meetings, visit relatives, take part in exchanges and travel for short business trips. There are already signs that easier travel is increasing movement across the long Russia-China border. In January 2026, China's Xinhua reported that more than 10,000 foreign tourists entered and left through the Suifenhe border port during the first week of the year, an 83% increase compared with the same period a year earlier. The proposal also fits into the broader effort by Moscow and Beijing to strengthen their relationship. China and Russia have expanded cooperation in areas including trade, energy, investment, technology, education, tourism and cultural exchanges. Chinese officials have described easier travel as another way to increase people-to-people contacts and support wider cooperation. For ordinary travelers, a permanent visa-free system would mean less paperwork, lower travel barriers and easier short visits between the two countries. For businesses, it could make meetings, partnerships and cross-border activities more convenient. However, Putin's proposal does not mean that permanent visa-free travel has already been agreed. He specifically said Russia is ready to work with China if the Chinese side considers it possible and useful. Therefore, Beijing would still need to make its own decision on whether to turn the current temporary arrangement into a permanent one. For now, the existing agreement remains in place through the end of 2027. Putin's latest comments show that Moscow would like the arrangement to continue beyond that date and become a permanent part of Russia-China relations.