Economic and trade cooperation between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has achieved fruitful results over the past decade or so, officials with the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said on Wednesday.
Officials from the ministry, speaking at a press conference, said that trade between China and ASEAN had grown at an average annual rate of 7.5 percent since 2013.
China has remained ASEAN's largest trading partner for 15 consecutive years, while ASEAN has remained China's largest trading partner for four consecutive years with the cumulative two-way investment between China and ASEAN countries exceeding 400 billion U.S. dollars by July this year, according to officials.
The officials also said that the 21st China-ASEAN Expo will be held in Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region from Sept. 24 to 28. The 21st China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit will also be held in Nanning during the period.
China, ASEAN economic cooperation achieves fruitful results: official
Hengdian World Studios, a film and TV theme park in Hengdian of east China's Zhejiang Province, is enjoying surging popularity among international tourists thanks to the booming Chinese film industry.
Dubbed "China's Hollywood", Hengdian is one of the largest real-life film and television shooting bases in the world, and is the filming location for popular films such as war blockbuster "The Battle at Lake Changjin."
To further boost cultural and tourism industries, Hengdian has also introduced immersive experience programs such as being movie extras and performances by movie professionals.
Wearing ancient Chinese costumes and holding related props, Dabira Vianny, a student from Brazzaville, capital of the Republic of Congo, has fully enjoyed his character in a swordsman-themed movie scene at the experience zone of movie extras with his friend.
"I like Chinese movies very much. We've watched Chinese Kung Fu movies and historical movies, and movies starring Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and Bruce Lee," said Vianny.
Vianny and his African friend planned a travel route to filming locations for themselves, and visited Hangzhou, Wenzhou, Jinhua to experience Chinese landscapes and historical culture during the trip. They also shared what they saw and heard during the trip with their family and friends through photos and videos.
"They in our home country can see what China is like. If they have the chance, they can come to tour China," he said.
With China's further relaxation and optimization of the transit visa-free policy and growing interest in Chinese films, the number of foreign tourists to the Hengdian World Studios in 2024 increased nearly 10 times year on year, according to related officials.
"As Hengdian has had all the historical scenes of the past 5,000 years in China miniatured, you can see all of the past 5,000 years in just three days in one city. As a demo social media spot for traveling to China, it provides a very concise and effective way for these tourists to plan their in-depth China tours next time," said Guo Shu, head of the international business department of Hengdian World Studios.
Hengdian World Studios enjoys surging popularity in China tourism
