A pivotal player in Brazil's energy sector on Sunday expressed the hope that the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) will be more ambitious in planning its investment around infrastructure.
In an interview with the China Global Television Network (CGTN) in Beijing, Sergio Rial, chairman of the Board of Directors at Vibra Energia in Brazil, praised the NDB as a bold initiative and emphasized the crucial role it plays in infrastructure development.
"I think development banks in a world of technology, in a world that is changing so much, what is going to be their role? I think in the case of the BRICS, of the bank here in Shanghai, infrastructure. I mean infrastructure is the key cornerstone towards development. China has proven that for anyone who has seen it and other countries as well. But no one is a better example than China. So I would expect the BRICS bank to be more ambitious in their plans around infrastructure investments," said Rial.
BRICS is the acronym for an emerging-market cooperative mechanism that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
Established in 2015 by BRICS countries and headquartered in Shanghai, the NDB is a multilateral development bank aimed at mobilizing resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in BRICS and other emerging market economies as well as developing countries, complementing the existing efforts of multilateral and regional financial institutions for global growth and development.
Pivotal player in Brazil's energy sector hopes greater infrastructure support from BRICS bank
The Chinese capital city of Beijing received a staggering 207.8 percent year-on-year increase in inbound tourists in the first three quarters of the year as inbound travel continued to heat up, marked by a shift from sightseeing to culture-themed in-depth experience tours.
In the first nine months, Beijing welcomed the 2.72 million inbound tourist arrivals, with the United States and Russia being the top two sources, and raked in 3.41 billion U.S. dollars of foreign exchange income from tourism, representing a year-on-year increase of 168.5 percent.
The number of tourists from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan came in at 505,000, accounting for 18.6 percent, and the number of foreign tourists stood at 2.21 million, taking up 81.4 percent of the total in the January-September period.
A total of 280,000 American tourists visited Beijing followed by Russia at 203,000 during the period. The number of travelers from Japan, Germany, Singapore and Malaysia to Beijing exceeded 100,000.
September is the peak time since the beginning of the year, when Beijing received 384,000 inbound travelers, a new high for the year.
Foreign tourists prefer visiting the Forbidden City, Great Wall, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, Lama Temple, Summer Palace, Beijing Central Axis, Universal Studios Beijing, Olympic Park, 798 Art District, Shougang Park, and Gubei Water Town with popular routes covering Beijing's traditional attractions, specialty intangible cultural heritage, emerging scenic spots, and cultural performances.
To further optimize the travel experience of foreign passengers, Beijing's subway network has enabled foreign visitors to swipe their foreign bank cards at all turnstiles and all times for subway rides. Currently, bank cards from more than 100 countries and regions are being used in Beijing subways.
"For us foreigners, it's [like] in our own country. It's exactly the same as in London, as in Paris, as in Dubai. So even a first-time person arriving in China, in Beijing, it's so simple. You can't ask for anything more," said Graham Christian, an international tourist.
Beijing receives record number of inbound tourists in Jan-Sept
