Chinese premier says China, UAE good partners on path of common development

Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Thursday that China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are good partners on the path of common development.

Li made the remarks when holding talks with the UAE's Vice President and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in Dubai.

Noting that this year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the UAE, Li said over the past 40 years, the two countries have advanced bilateral cooperation in various fields in an all-round way and achieved positive results.

He said China has long placed the UAE as a priority in China's Middle East diplomacy, and stands ready to work with the UAE to forge ahead hand in hand, firmly support each other, consolidate the political foundation of bilateral ties, further strengthen cooperation in various fields, so as to inject new vitality into bilateral relations, achieve more results and deliver more benefits to their people.

Li pointed out that China and the UAE are good partners on the path of common development, and it is in the fundamental interests of both sides to strengthen cooperation and help each other succeed.

China is willing to share development opportunities with the UAE for better mutual benefit, Li said, calling on the two sides to further tap the cooperation potential, give full play to complementary advantages, expand the scale of economic and trade cooperation, and strengthen cooperation on infrastructure, new energy, digital economy and green economy to help realize each other's sustainable development.

The UAE is welcome to increase investment in China and China encourages enterprises to invest and do business in the UAE, Li added.

For his part, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum congratulated China on the upcoming 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and expressed admiration for China's tremendous development achievements.

He said that under the care and guidance of the two countries' leaders, the UAE-China relations have made great progress in recent years. The UAE government attaches great importance to developing relations with China and has always firmly adhered to the one-China policy, he said.

The UAE government is ready to take the opportunity of the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties with China to further leverage its advantages, expand trade, deepen cooperation in such fields as investment, energy and education, strengthen people-to-people exchanges and push for new progress in the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, he said.

On Thursday morning, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum held a welcoming ceremony for Li at the presidential palace in Abu Dhabi.

Chinese premier says China, UAE good partners on path of common development

China has seen a notable rise in cultural tourism and inbound travel over Mid-Autumn Festival period, which shows increased interests in both cultural and natural sceneries.

The time-honored Mid-Autumn Festival has always featured family reunions since ancient times, summoning people's craving for traveling vast distances to be with their families and loved ones.

According to China Mobile's Wutong Big Data, the average distance traveled for family reunion was 253 kilometers during this year's holiday that ran from Sept 15 to 17. Short-distance trips of under 200 kilometers were most common, comprising 63 percent of the total, while 27 percent of travelers journeyed between 200 and 500 kilometers, and 10 percent traveled over 500 kilometers, indicating a strong preference for shorter, more manageable trips among holidaymakers.

In addition to family reunions, the popularity of traditional activities such as moon gazing and lantern shows continued to rise. Themed night tours featuring lantern displays attracted significant attention to notable spots such as the Beijing Garden Expo Park, Guangzhou Cultural Park, Luogang Park in Hefei, Songgai Ancient Town in Chongqing, and Meiyuan Hengshan Scenic Area in Wuxi.

The holiday also marked a rise in inbound tourism, with a 22 percent increase in international visitors compared with last year. Southeast Asia, Europe, and Africa are the regions with the largest climb in inbound tourists.

The provinces of Shanxi, Jiangxi, Inner Mongolia, Guizhou, and Hunan experienced the highest increases in international arrivals, with some even more than doubling the numbers of the previous year.

As China continues to expand its tourism appeal, the upward trends in travel and cultural engagement are set to continue into future holiday seasons.

China sees surge in tourism market during Mid-Autumn Festival