China's first tire factory in Europe officially started mass production in Zrenjanin, Serbia, on Friday.
More than 300 people, including Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Serbian government officials and Chinese Ambassador to Serbia Li Ming, attended the inauguration ceremony.
Vucic said that China has always been an important partner of Serbia, and this largest greenfield investment project in Serbia so far will promote regional development and become a strong witness of cooperation between the two countries.
"No matter how the international situation changes, China will remain a reliable partner for all countries seeking common development. [China] not only considers its own interests, but also thinks about its partners, and works for our wellbeing and achievements," said Vucic.
The total investment of the project is 990 million U.S. dollars, with 97 hectares of planned land area, about 500,000 square meters of the total construction area. The planned production capacity is 12 million passenger car tires, 1.6 million commercial vehicle tires and 220,000 off-highway tires.
Vucic highlighted the economic benefits the factory will bring to Zrenjanin and the surrounding region, with a projected boost to the city's budget, which will fund new infrastructure projects. It is expected that the factory will achieve export value of 200 million euros this year, and may increase to 500 million euros next year.
China's first tire factory in Europe begins mass production in Serbia
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
