Passengers are seen at Nanjing Lukou International Airport, east China's Jiangsu province, Dec 23, 2019. (LI BO/XINHUA)

China has climbed 22 spots to 68th in the world's most powerful passport ranking, with Chinese passport holders enjoying a visa-free or visa-on-arrival arrangement to 77 destinations worldwide.

In the latest Henley Passport Index, which ranks the world's passports by the ease with which they are offered access to other nations and territories, Japan has the most powerful passport, with the country's passport holders theoretically able to access a record 193 destinations around the world visa-free.

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Singapore remains in second place, with a visa-free or visa-on-arrival score of 192. Germany and South Korea again jointly share third place, each with access to 191 destinations.

As of the second quarter of this year, China's ranking has risen 22 places since 2011, when China was ranked 90th with a visa-free or visa-on-arrival score of just 40.

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