President Xi Jinping has sent a message of condolences to South Korean acting president over its deadliest aviation disaster since 1997 on Sunday, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a press briefing in Beijing on Monday.
"We have noticed the unfortunate accident of passenger plane crash with grave casualties in South Korea. President Xi Jinping sent a message of condolences that very day to South Korean Acting President Choi Sang-mok and expressed deep condolences to the victims and sincere sympathies to their families on behalf of the Chinese government and people, and wished an early recovery of the injured," she said.
A Boeing 737-800 operated by Jeju Air plane of South Korea crashed in a failed landing attempt and erupted in flames at an airport in Muan in southwestern South Korea on Sunday morning. All but two of the 181 people aboard were killed.
President Xi expresses condolences over S Korean plane crash: spokeswoman
On the first day of 2025, Yiwu City in east China, known as the world's capital of small commodities, was bustling with activity as holidaymakers flocked to the one-stop shopping destination that offers a diverse range of products from around the world.
At the Yiwu China Import Commodities City, merchants showcased their best-selling items. Visitors could find global treasures including Spanish ham, South African and French wines, and more, all in one place.
The ongoing New Year Shopping Festival at the market features nearly 150,000 varieties of products from over 100 countries and regions. The market has also issued vouchers that allow shoppers to enjoy discounts of up to 50 percent on their purchases.
"I'm getting these stuffs at pretty good prices, about a third lower than usual," said Ms. Liu, a local shopper. This was the tenth New Year spent in Yiwu for Syrian businessman Mike, who just made a special trip to the market to begin his year.
"[Here,] you can buy products from any country. On the first day [of 2025], I came here to find food I can share with my family," Mike said. Mike shopped at a pilot store that's part of Yiwu's initiative to boost innovative development in the import sector. The store imports goods in bulk, selling products at prices up to 30 percent less than before.
"By this morning, we had already processed nearly 120 orders. We hope to expand our import channels in the new year and bring more high-quality foreign goods to the Yiwu market, allowing residents to buy even more affordable products," said Xu Zhijian, the manager of the pilot store.
Yiwu market starts 2025 with one-stop shopping experience for global treasures
