China to expand trade, cooperation with UAE: Chinese premier

China

China to expand trade, cooperation with UAE: Chinese premier

2024-09-13 19:51 Last Updated At：09-14 14:57

Visiting Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Thursday that China is ready to further expand the scale of bilateral trade with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and explore cooperation in various fields.

Li made the remarks when meeting with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi.

Li conveyed Chinese President Xi Jinping's cordial greetings to President Sheikh Mohamed and said that in recent years, China and the UAE have firmly supported each other politically, and their practical cooperation is at the forefront of China's cooperation with Middle East countries.

Noting that the talks between the two heads of state in May this year have charted a strategic plan for deepening bilateral relations, Li said China is willing to work with the UAE to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state and give full play to the mechanism of the high-level committee on China-UAE investment and cooperation.

China stands ready to further expand the scale of bilateral trade with the UAE, and explore cooperation in new energy, electric vehicles, high-end manufacturing, biomedicine, digital economy and other fields, he said.

China is ready to continue working with the UAE and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states to promote the early completion of negotiations on the China-GCC free trade agreement, said the premier.

Sheikh Mohamed asked Premier Li to convey his sincere greetings to President Xi, saying that the UAE firmly abides by the one-China principle and is willing to be a strategic partner in high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.

He said the UAE looks forward to deepening cooperation with China in economy, trade, people-to-people exchanges and other fields, and strengthening coordination with China in multilateral affairs.

China sees surge in tourism market during Mid-Autumn Festival

2024-09-18 12:19 Last Updated At：12:37

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.