Residents in the Tajik capital Dushanbe gathered at the airport and lined the city streets on Thursday evening to welcome visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has arrived to start a state visit to the Central Asian country.
Tajik people dressed in traditional costumes assembled at the airport and waved Chinese and Tajik national flags to greet President Xi.
Meanwhile, a crowd of well-wishers gathered along the streets from the airport to the hotel where Xi will stay during his Tajik tour, with some holding aloft a large banner reading "Warmly welcome President Xi Jinping to visit Tajikistan".
Xi is paying a state visit at the invitation of Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, with this marking his first trip to the country since 2019.
Dushanbe residents gather to welcome Xi's arrival
Global auction houses are increasingly offering more expensive art pieces to Chinese consumers, thanks to the streamlined process facilitated by preferential policies in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone.
Previously, bringing art pieces into China involved a complex and lengthy clearance process. However, since the establishment of the Shanghai Free Trade Zone in 2013, this procedure has become significantly faster and more straightforward.
Before 2013, art and cultural objects destined for China had to undergo extensive clearance procedures that could often stretch for months or even years. Now, these formalities are efficiently managed within Shanghai.
"The Shanghai customs bureau allows art pieces to come first and then be declared for clearance. And the local officials also help to shorten the examination period. All these have helped art pieces to come via the Shanghai Free Trade Zone for display and sale in China," said Wang Jiaming, deputy general manager of Shanghai Free Trade Zone International Culture Investment and Development.
Shanghai FTZ streamlines art imports, expanding access for Chinese consumers
