BEIJING, Oct. 24 -- Immigration departments across China inspected 123 million border entries and exits in the third quarter of 2023, a year-on-year increase of 454.4 percent, the National Immigration Administration (NIA) Tuesday said at a press conference held in Beijing.

According to NIA data, 61.69 million of the total crossings were made by mainland residents, while 50.18 million crossings were made by residents from Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions and Taiwan.

A total of 4.66 million ordinary passports were issued from July to September, marking an increase of 1356.3 percent from last year, the administration said.

The number of documents issued for mainland residents traveling to and from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan jumped by 2071.2 percent year on year to 25.45 million, it said, adding that it rose by 113.3 percent from the same period in 2019.

Additionally, 887,000 mainland travel permits for Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan residents were issued, showing a year-on-year increase of 358.5 percent, which also marked an increase of 151.8 percent from the same period in 2019.

The NIA data showed that 608,000 visas were issued in the third quarter of the year to foreign nationals, indicating a yearly surge of 268.5 percent and returning to the same level as in 2019.

According to the NIA, over 13,000 criminal cases related to national border control were investigated, with more than 23,000 suspects arrested and 817 criminal gangs smashed.

In accordance with the law, cases involving 20,400 foreign nationals who engaged in illegal entry, residence, and employment were addressed, with 7,102 of them being subject to deportation, the NIA said.