China's immigration authorities handled 185 million entries and exits in the first quarter of 2026, up 13.5 percent year-on-year, Lyu Ning, spokeswoman for the National Immigration Administration, announced on Friday.

The total included over 91.66 million trips by mainland residents, 72.49 million by residents from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and about 21.33 million by foreigners, up 14.2 percent, 10.3 percent and 22.3 percent, respectively, according to Lyu.

Notably, about 8.31 million foreign nationals entered the country visa-free, accounting for 77.9 percent of all inbound foreign visitors, a year-on-year increase of 29.3 percent, she said.

In the first quarter, immigration authorities also inspected nearly 10.1 million cross-border transport vehicles, including planes, trains, ships and motor vehicles, up 18.9 percent year-on-year, she noted.

To support this growth, authorities issued more than 5.2 million ordinary passports, 26.88 million travel permits and endorsements for mainland residents traveling to Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and 541,000 mainland travel permits for Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan residents. They also issued 406,000 visas and related documents to foreign nationals during the same period, she added.

Lyu noted that the administration's online service platform handled 51.32 million inquiries and other government service requests from Chinese and foreign travelers from January to March. It also provided free identity verification services 23.24 million times for residents from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, as well as overseas Chinese.

Meanwhile, the administration's 12367 service hotline handled nearly 1.8 million inquiries from people in more than 100 countries and regions, with an average satisfaction rate of 99.4 percent.

Additionally, immigration authorities stepped up efforts to combat cross-border crime in the first quarter. They investigated 5,507 cases involving crimes undermining border management, captured 10,487 suspects, dismantled 67 criminal gangs, and placed 37 major cases under special supervision, according to Lyu.

Crackdowns on offenses involving guns, explosives, drug trafficking and smuggling at ports and border areas were also intensified, she added.