The global initiatives purposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping are really important to achieving world peace, Peruvian President Dina Ercilia Boluarte Zegarra has said.
The Peruvian president made the statement in an interview with China Central Television (CCTV) in Beijing during her recent visit to China.
At the invitation of Xi, Boluarte was on a state visit to China from June 25 to 29. This was her first trip to China since taking office in 2022, and the first by a Peruvian leader in eight years.
Currently, the world has been facing unprecedented challenges and severe situation. Under such a circumstance, Xi put forward the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, and Global Civilization Initiative respectively in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
In the interview, Boluarte spoke highly of Xi's initiatives and emphasized their significance to achieving peace around the globe.
"President Xi Jinping's leadership and global initiatives are of great significance to world peace. I appreciate President Xi Jinping's initiatives. We should embrace peace not only bilaterally but also worldwide. This is because it is the most vulnerable group of people in society who suffer from crises, wars, chaos and distress. Violence brings pain, despair and economic decline. Only in a peaceful environment can we find a path to development and improve the life quality of our people," Boluarte said.
Xi’s global initiatives are of great importance to world peace: Peruvian president
An increasing influx of elderly overseas travelers now choose to spend some of their post-retirement time traveling in China as the country keeps improving its visa policies and tourism services.
With more elderly travelers coming to China from abroad, the country's inbound tourism market has experienced significant growth. In the first seven months of this year, the country received about six million visits from foreign travelers, marking an over-400-percent increase year on year, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China.
Six Dutch tourists recently visited Xi'an City in northwest China's Shaanxi Province to see the terracotta warriors at the site of Emperor Qin Shihuang's Mausoleum.
They are all above the age of 60 and most of them came to China for the very first time. Wilco Poppeliers, one of the travelers, said he has long been expecting this travel and he could only make it after his retirement.
"I think it was very [much] on my bucket list still to visit China. Now I'm retired, I have the time to travel to visit places like this," he said.
For elderly couples from Mongolia, Chinese destinations also maintained strong attraction. Altogether 12 of them have an average age of about 60, with the oldest already 88.
"China is just next to Mongolia. I have visited many places in China like Wutaishan, Zhangjiajie, Hohhot, and Beijing. China has been developing very fast," said one of the tourists.
Along the Lijiang River, famous for its karst landscapes, some 30 overseas tourists recently visited the riverside Moya cliff sculptures and inscription.
The elders said they have been traveling around China before arriving at the cliff site in the southern city of Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
"We have traveled around the country and visited a wide range of cities. The travels were very smooth and convenient," said Marcia Akemi Fujinami, a visitor from Brazil.
The rich cultural heritage is what attracts him to China, said Fabrizio, an Italian tourist, adding that visiting the country has been easier as now there are many flights between Europe and China.
"Traveling to China is nowadays quite simple. There are a lot of flights coming from Europe. China is one of the countries with the largest number of UNESCO heritage places in the world. So we are very happy about visiting this country," he said.
China has been promoting inbound travels by accelerating the resumption of flights and improving tourism services for travelers from abroad. Scenic spots across the country have also been facilitating visits for international tourists while enhancing the quality of their products.
With improved visa policies, customs clearance policies, and more payment options, including cash payment, QR code and bank cards, overseas visitors can now enter and enjoy better services in China.
China sees increasing elderly overseas tourists following improved policies, services
