The Port of Sanya in south China's Hainan Province received China's first international cruise ship of 2025 on Friday morning.
MV Piano Land, China's first independently operated state-owned cruise vessel carrying 456 passengers on this trip, docked at the Sanya Phoenix Island International Cruise Port Friday morning.
The cruise ship, which departed from China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, will continue its voyage to Vietnam after the Sanya stop.
This route has adopted an innovative "dual homeport" model, in which passengers could choose to board either in Hong Kong or in Sanya as their home port, with a variety of itinerary options available.
"This route is very good and very fresh. The opening of this route has added a lot of new options for tourism in Hainan," said Zhao, a passenger.
To ensure the smooth customs clearance of the cruise ship and its passengers, the Sanya Border Inspection Station has developed a special duty plan.
The station has also strengthened port control during the ship's stay using gangway monitoring, fixed-point patrols, and video surveillance to manage the port's restricted area and ensure the safe and orderly boarding of passengers and crew.
"We have effectively streamlined the entry and exit procedures of cruise ships and their carriers, shortened the customs clearance time at ports, to provide an efficient, convenient and pleasant customs clearance environment for the vast number of inbound and outbound passengers," said Cheng Hao, captain of Sanya Border Inspection Station first patrol squad.
Piano Land, a 70,000-ton luxury ship, can accommodate more than 2,000 passengers. It's also the first international cruise ship to arrive in Sanya since the implementation of visa-free policy for foreign tourist groups entering China via cruise ships.
Sanya receives 1st int'l cruise liner of 2025
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday that he is stepping down as the Liberal Party leader but will stay on as prime minister until a new leader is selected, while the opposition leader complained that "nothing has changed".
The prime minister said Governor General Mary Simon had granted his request to prorogue Parliament until March 24.
"Nothing has changed," federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said on his social media, questioning what has changed with Trudeau's announcement.
"Every Liberal MP and Leadership contender supported everything Trudeau did for nine years, and now they want to trick voters by swapping in another Liberal face to keep ripping off Canadians for another four years," said Poilievre, the official opposition leader.
Trudeau is facing a revolt within his caucus and dismal public opinion polls, which indicate that his party is likely to be swept from power by Pierre Poilievre's Conservatives in an election, according to local media.
The House of Commons was scheduled to resume on Jan. 27, with the Conservatives planning to advance a non-confidence motion. Other opposition parties had indicated their readiness to bring down Trudeau's minority Liberal government. Trudeau's request for prorogation buys the Liberals time to run an expedited leadership race without facing a confidence vote.
A new session of Parliament would begin with a Speech from the Throne, setting the stage for a key confidence vote that could trigger a federal election in May if the Liberals fall.
Trudeau's decision to continue as prime minister through the next two months comes as Canada braces for the start of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's second term and his threats of 25 percent tariffs on imports from Canada.
A majority of members of Parliament from the regional Liberal caucuses told Trudeau over the Christmas break that he must step aside. A national, daylong caucus to discuss the matter had been set for Wednesday, but this is now moot with a leadership race underway.
Liberal members of Parliament and party members will be briefed in the coming days on the party's constitution and caucus' role in the upcoming leadership campaign. According to the Liberal Party of Canada's constitution, "upon the occurrence of a leadership trigger event," or if the leader announces resignation, a meeting of the national board of directors must be called within 27 days. In consultation with the caucus, the board could appoint an interim leader. The top party officials would also be required to set a date for a leadership vote and other parameters around the race.
Trudeau has been the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada since 2013 and prime minister since 2015.
Canadian prime minister to step down as opposition complains "nothing has changed"
