China has decided to grant visa-free entry to the people of Slovenia, said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in his meeting with Slovenian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon on Wednesday in New York.
"I now notify the Slovenian side with great excitement that the Chinese government has decided to grant visa-free entry to Slovenian citizens," said Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.
Wang said the measure is "good news" for both the Slovenian and the Chinese people as it will forcefully promote friendly exchanges between the two countries and deepen their friendship and mutual trust.
Noting that Slovenia is an important member of the European Union, Wang said China supports Slovenia assuming the rotating chair of the United Nations Security Council this month, is willing to work with the Slovenian side to implement true multilateralism, uphold the authority of the United Nations and the Security Council, and promote international peace and security.
For her part, Fajon expressed the Slovenian side's gratitude for the visa-free entry treatment by China, hailing the policy as a "big positive" that will make exchanges between the two peoples easier and facilitate economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.
Fajon said that as the rotating chair of the UN Security Council, Slovenia is ready to maintain coordination with China to contribute to the settlement of the Ukraine crisis, the conflict in Gaza, as well as other hotspot issues.
The two also exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis and the conflict in Gaza, agreeing that in pursuing political resolution of related issues, the Security Council should shoulder its due responsibility and play its due role.
China grants visa-free entry to Slovenians
China grants visa-free entry to Slovenians
Residential housing sales in Shanghai have recovered over the past month, with sales of pre-owned apartments seeing a steady rise.
Wang Tianci, a property agent in the city, now posts videos to social media platforms, showing housings up for sale.
So far, the strategy is paying off, as he's gained over 10,000 followers over the past six months. The number of prospective buyers he's been in touch with has also grown substantially.
Wang oversees several residential compounds, mostly high-end properties. Starting on Dec 1, the rates of deed tax and value-added tax for real estate purchases have been reduced. These policies have spurred buyers to explore the market.
"Most apartments in our area are priced above 20 million yuan (2.75 million US dollars). Buyers need to pay 500,000 yuan (nearly 69,000 US dollars) or even more in value-added tax. But the new policy helps to reduce the tax by one to two million yuan. Previously I was seeing maybe one to two prospective buyers a week, now it's four or five," Wang said.
In November, over 27,000 apartments were sold in Shanghai, a staggering 44-month high.
In the same month, the number of pre-owned apartments sold in Shanghai recorded a year-on-year growth of 11 percent.
"We are still facing an economic slowdown, so we need to be patient for a larger, overall economic recovery. But I think the policies are effective. We are just waiting for the economy to recover, and I believe the property market will see a healthy development pattern in the near future," said Caroline Jin, head of residential of East China Cushman and Wakefield, a global commercial real estate services leader.
It's not only Shanghai that's welcoming these policies, but other first-tier cities are also looking to stimulate their respective residential housing markets.
In Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, sales of new apartments jumped by over 158 percent in November, while sales of pre-owned apartments jumped by over 100 percent, the highest in 46 months.
Stabilizing the property market was once again mentioned at the meeting held by the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee on Monday, setting out a clear tone that the healthy development of the housing market is a top priority.
Favorable policies boosts Shanghai housing sales
