Chinese Vice President Han Zheng addressed the opening ceremony of the 12th World Peace Forum in Beijing on Saturday, calling for joint contributions to improving global security governance, safeguarding fairness and justice, and promoting international security cooperation.
Noting that the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, Han said that China, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and an important member of the Global South, will always stay on the right course in the changing world.
He put forward three proposals.
First, adhering to peaceful coexistence. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, Han said, adding that China will always adhere to its foreign policy purposes of safeguarding world peace and promoting common development, and inject greater stability and certainty into the world.
Second, advocating common security. China advocates a concept of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and will actively explore and practice solutions with Chinese characteristics to address hotspot issues and strive to solve global security challenges, Han said.
Third, promoting openness and inclusiveness. To promote world peace and development, all countries should uphold the concept of openness and inclusiveness. China is ready to work with other countries to jointly safeguard world peace and stability, Han said.
The Chinese nation loves peace, and China has always been a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development and a defender of the international order, he said.
About 400 people, including former foreign political dignitaries, diplomatic envoys to China, experts and scholars, attended the event.
Chinese vice president addresses 12th World Peace Forum
Chinese vice president addresses 12th World Peace Forum
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
