HK tourism board welcomes more mainland visitors, calling it ‘gift’ to boost local economy

The view of Hong Kong Photo: VCG

The view of Hong Kong Photo: VCG

The Chinese central government announced on Saturday a new policy that allows travelers from eight more cities in the Chinese mainland to visit the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) as individuals. 

The move was strongly welcomed by both officials in the HKSAR and visitors from the mainland cities.

Pang Yiu-Kai, chairman of the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), welcomed the move, saying that the latest expansion is a “gift” for the sector, and Beijing’s decision to update the program twice in three months reflected its “full support and confidence” in Hong Kong’s development, according to the South China Morning Post.

The HKTB will roll out some “large-scale events” and step up promotions in the mainland cities and invite tourism representatives to come to Hong Kong, Pang said. 

With the addition of the eight cities, the number of applicable mainland cities under the “Individual Travel” plan will increase from 51 to 59. The added cities are Taiyuan, Hohhot, Harbin, Lanzhou, Yinchuan, Lhasa and Xining.

Experts said that with more and more mainland cities opening up for individual travel, Hong Kong will attract more tourists from the broader mainland market. Closer exchanges between Hong Kong and the mainland will inject new vitality into the local tourism industry.

HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee expressed his gratitude with regard to the central government’s care for Hong Kong and its support for Hong Kong’s advance from stability to prosperity, according to the website of the HKSAR government.

Lee noted that various measures have been rolled out this year to support and benefit Hong Kong. The latest move will boost tourism and the economic development of Hong Kong, and facilitate people-to-people bonds between the mainland and Hong Kong.

Hong Kong’s Mass Transit Railway welcomed the addition of the new cities and said it was dedicated to providing high-quality, convenient cross-boundary services.

This new arrangement will attract more mainland tourists to Hong Kong, and Hong Kong’s overall economic development will benefit from the tourism boom, Yang Yong, deputy director of the College of Economics and Management at East China Normal University, told the Global Times on Sunday.

The surge in Hong Kong’s inbound tourism was a key factor driving the city’s economic growth, Yang noted.

About 766,000 visitors from the mainland visited the city during the just-concluded May Day holidays, which ran from May 1 to 5. 

The city recorded an increase of 22 percent in passenger trips compared with the same period last year, a spokesperson for the HKSAR said on May 6.

GT Voice: India’s ambitions can foster complementarity with China

Manufacturing equipment of semiconductor products Photo: VCG

Manufacturing equipment Photo: VCG

There has been no shortage of pessimism regarding economic and trade relations between China and India, as Chinese companies are bearing the brunt of the most severe crackdown due to India’s tendency to generalize security issues in its China trade policy. However, the latest data may indicate a different trend, serving as a reminder not to overlook the complementary strengths of both economies.

China again emerged as the largest trading partner of India in fiscal year 2023-24, Indian news agency PTI reported on Sunday. Bilateral trade stood at $118.4 billion, with India’s exports to China up by 8.7 percent, according to economic think tank Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI).

After the US became India’s largest trading partner in fiscal years 2021-22 and 2022-23, this change in India’s top trading partner status may come as a surprise to many, especially considering the tensions between China and India and the latter’s scrutiny of Chinese companies. 

This unexpected development underscores the potential for economic and trade cooperation between China and India, showcasing how the acceleration of the Indian manufacturing sector’s development is leading to increasingly complementary economies.

For a long time, whether India could replace China as the world’s factory has been a popular topic, but if you look at global industrial and value chains, India is not in the same segments as China. As India is seeking to become a manufacturing power, such a difference is poised to bring significant development opportunities for both nations. 

China has a well-developed industrial system, solid manufacturing foundation and cutting-edge technologies in many areas, while India has advantages in the services sector, particularly in information technology services. With the implementation of the “Make in India” strategy, the country’s needs for industrial chain support have increased, especially in technology- and capital-intensive products. This situation offers new market and collaboration prospects for China’s manufacturing sector.

For instance, a study by the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, a state-backed university in New Delhi, in April 2023 found that Chinese imports were boosting India’s manufacturing and exports in key sectors, including inorganic chemicals, pharmaceuticals, iron and steel, the South China Morning Post reported.

Noticeably, over the years, some people in India have frequently criticized the country’s trade imbalance with China, which may have had a negative impact on the development of bilateral trade. In fiscal year 2023-24, India’s imports from China increased by 3.24 percent to $101.7 billion, while exports to China reached $16.67 billion, according to GTRI. 

It’s essential to attach great importance to this imbalance and find solutions to promote the healthy and long-term development of bilateral trade.

First and foremost, promoting the localization of Chinese companies in India is a crucial strategy to address the existing imbalance. By establishing production bases in India, Chinese companies can generate more employment opportunities and stimulate the growth of the local economy, ultimately aiding in the reduction of the trade deficit. 

For instance, in India’s rapidly expanding smartphone industry, only a small percentage of components are sourced domestically, with China continuing to dominate as the primary supplier for smartphone plants in the country. 

Despite Apple’s efforts to encourage its suppliers to invest in India, discriminatory economic and trade policies have dissuaded many Chinese component suppliers from doing so. Consequently, it is imperative for the Indian government to implement preferential policies and foster a favorable business environment to attract increased investment from Chinese companies.

In the meantime, China could gradually expand market access for Indian products, particularly in sectors like agriculture and services outsourcing. 

Furthermore, both countries can enhance collaboration in science, technology and innovation, facilitating technology exchange and industrial advances through the establishment of joint research and development centers. 

This initiative could incentivize companies from both nations to pursue partnerships in various fields, including renewable energy, information technology and other emerging industries, thus diversifying their trade structures and uncovering additional business prospects to mitigate trade imbalances.

It is sincerely hoped that by leveraging their complementary strengths and exploring opportunities for collaboration, China and India can forge a more stable and prosperous trade relationship that mutually benefits both nations.

Iraq is committed to OPEC’s oil output cuts, minister says

Iraq is committed to voluntary oil production cuts agreed by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and is keen to cooperate with member countries on efforts to achieve more stability in global oil markets, Iraq’s oil minister told the state news agency on Sunday.

The minister’s comments followed his suggestion on Saturday that Iraq had made enough voluntary reductions and would not agree to any additional cuts proposed by the wider OPEC+ producer group at its meeting in early June.

Source(s): Reuters

Floods kill 41 in Indonesia’s West Sumatra, 17 missing

Flash floods and mud slides in Indonesia’s West Sumatra Province killed at least 41 people this weekend while the search for 17 missing people is still ongoing, authorities said on Monday.

Torrential rain on Saturday evening caused flash floods, landslides and cold lava flow, which is a mixture of volcanic ash, rock debris and water that flows like mud, in three districts in West Sumatra Province, Abdul Malik, the chief of the provincial rescue team said.

Damaged houses are seen after flash floods and cold lava flow from a volcano in Tanah Datar, West Sumatra, May 12, 2024. /CFP

Damaged houses are seen after flash floods and cold lava flow from a volcano in Tanah Datar, West Sumatra, May 12, 2024. /CFP

The cold lava flow, known in Indonesia as a lahar, came from Mount Marapi, one of Sumatra’s most active volcanoes.

In December, more than 20 people were killed after Marapi erupted. A series of eruptions followed afterwards.

“The heavy rain swept materials such as ash and large rocks from the Marapi volcano,” said Abdul Malik.

“Cold lava flow and flash floods have always been threats to us recently. But the problem is, it always happens late at night until dawn,” he added.

Abdul said around 400 personnel, comprising local rescuers, police officers, and military staff, have been deployed to search for the missing people on Monday, helped by at least eight excavators and drones.

The rescue efforts that began on Sunday have been complicated by damaged roads, making it difficult for rescuers to pass through.

The national disaster and management agency BNPB said in a statement almost 200 houses were damaged and 72 hectares of lands, including rice fields, were affected. At least 159 people from Agam district have been evacuated to nearby school buildings, the BNPB said.

Video footage released by the BNPB depicted the roads and rice fields inundated with mud. The floods also carried logs and large rocks into residential areas.

Eko Widodo, a 43-year-old survivor, recalled the floods came instantly.

“The flooding was sudden and the river became blocked which resulted in the flow of water everywhere and it was out of control.”

(Cover: Drone shot shows buildings damaged by a flash flood in Tanah Datar, West Sumatra, Indonesia, May 12, 2024. /CFP)

Source(s): Reuters

Shared value takes China-Hungary relationship to golden voyage

People welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping in Budapest, Hungary, May 8, 2024. /Xinhua

People welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping in Budapest, Hungary, May 8, 2024. /Xinhua

Editor’s note: CGTN’s First Voice provides instant commentary on breaking stories. The column clarifies emerging issues and better defines the news agenda, offering a Chinese perspective on the latest global events.

In their Thursday meeting in Budapest, Chinese President Xi and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced they would elevate the China-Hungary bilateral relationship to an all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership for the new era. During the stay of the last leg of his European tour, Xi also pledged that Beijing would work with Budapest to forge greater synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Hungary’s Eastern Opening strategy.

As a member of both NATO and the EU, Budapest has long regarded Beijing as a reliable partner. Hungary was among the first to establish diplomatic relations with China in 1949, the first within Europe to sign a cooperation agreement for China-proposed BRI, the first on the European continent to use Chinese and local language for instruction in public schools, and is also home to the first RMB clearing center in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).

The country’s Eastern Opening strategy has further instilled impetus to the flourishing Beijing-Budapest cooperation. As a result of its Look East efforts, Hungary has become China’s top investment destination and its important trading partner in the CEE. One-sixth of Hungary’s foreign direct investments are from Chinese investors, according to official data.

“There is a large work force and highly developed technologies (in Eastern economies). So it’s obvious that a country cannot operate economically successfully if it doesn’t have cooperation with the East,” Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó was quoted by the Global Times as saying.

Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Budapest, Hungary, May 9, 2024. /Xinhua

Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Budapest, Hungary, May 9, 2024. /Xinhua

In this context, Beijing and Budapest’s joint will to forge greater synergy in their development strategies is no surprise. As Xi pledged during his Budapest stay, the two countries will strengthen cooperation in clean energy, artificial intelligence, the digital economy, green development and other emerging areas. Such cooperation will not only bring enormous economic opportunities to both countries, but is also good news for global economic recovery.

To better synergize the BRI with Hungary’s Eastern Opening strategy, China’s electric vehicle giant BYD announced its plan last year to build an assembly plant in Hungary, making it the first Chinese car company to build a passenger car plant in Europe. The construction of the plant, according to BYD, will create “thousands of local jobs,” support Hungary’s “green economy transformation” and promote “technological exchanges and innovations” between the two countries.

BYD’s move is welcomed by local people. “Hungary benefits through collaboration with Chinese companies, global leaders in power battery production with cutting-edge technology,” Csaba Moldicz, head of the Center for International Economy at the Mathias Corvinus Collegium Foundation of Hungary, said in an interview with Xinhua, adding that Hungary’s automotive industry represents cooperative opportunities for new investors.

At present, both Beijing and Budapest stand at an important stage of development. This year also marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic ties. China-Hungary cooperation is ushering in a new and important opportunity for the development of bilateral relations. While China is pursuing high-quality development and high-standard opening-up, Hungary for its part is also striving for greater development. In this context, greater synergy between China-proposed BRI and Hungary’s Eastern Opening strategy will take their partnership to new heights.

With Xi’s fruitful visit to Hungary, the China-Hungary bilateral relationship is at its best in history and has embarked on a golden voyage. “Our long-standing friendship is as mellow and rich as Tokaji wine,” Xi said in his signed article published Wednesday in the Hungarian newspaper Magyar Nemzet. China’s cooperation with Hungary and other CEE countries conforms to the trends of the times and is also an important complement to overall China-Europe ties.

(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at [email protected]. Follow @thouse_opinions on Twitter to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)

Exclusive: Latin America open for cooperation with Chinese technology, products in new-energy sector: former Ecuadorian transport minister

China Ecuador Photo: VCG

China Ecuador Photo: VCG

There is huge opportunity for cooperation with China in the new-energy sector in Latin America, and the region is open for corresponding Chinese technology and products, Héctor Villagrán-Cepeda, former minister of transport and public works of Ecuador, told the Global Times in an exclusive interview on Sunday.

The remarks came amid rising protectionism by the US-led West against China’s new-energy products, with the new-energy vehicle (NEV) sector being a main target, over so-called overcapacity claims.

Despite challenges from third parties, Villagrán-Cepeda said that the relationship and cooperation between China and Latin America “will not be affected due to the strong will and determination of our common regions.”

Héctor Villagrán-Cepeda, former minister of transport and public works of Ecuador Photo: Courtesy of Héctor Villagrán-Cepeda

Héctor Villagrán-Cepeda, former minister of transport and public works of Ecuador Photo: Courtesy of Héctor Villagrán-Cepeda

Villagrán-Cepeda praised the cost-effectiveness of Chinese new-energy sector and called for greater cooperation between China and Latin American countries in the field.

The possibility of cooperation between China and Latin America is a great step toward world peace and understanding, he said.

“Our region for the past 500 years has been on a constant quest to find a scientific path for development. Chinese development policies are a hope for industrial development and a way to start knowledge-based economies in the region,” he said.

“The time is now to deepen the relationship with mutual benefit for both China, with its high-technology development, and Latin America, with its abundant natural resources, in the important task of environmental protection,” Villagrán-Cepeda further noted.

Moreover, as Villagrán-Cepeda noted, Latin America is an important source of the natural resources that are needed for the development of new-energy products with Chinese technology.

He spoke highly of China’s NEV sector for its cost-effectiveness, industrial transformation and contribution to carbon reductions in the region.

The [industrial and green] transformation for Latin America was to adopt Chinese methods of low-energy consumption many years ago, and that transformation has benefited the transportation of passengers and cargo with low unit costs and low pollution, in addition to savings on fuel, Villagrán-Cepeda said.

Villagrán-Cepeda said that cooperation with China in the region’s green transformation is needed for future development because of various factors, including less pollution, lower costs and industrial upgrades.

He noted the need for technology cooperation. “Demand is huge in Latin America, because people trust Chinese technologies,” he said.

The green transformation has additional value since it boosts the industrial transformation that Latin America has been trying to accomplish, according to Villagrán-Cepeda.

Chinese companies have built many factories in Latin America, not only in Ecuador, and this process creates jobs, develops industrial capacity and transfers technology, he said.

Besides of NEVs, there are many other green products that provide opportunities for cooperation between China and Latin American countries, such as solar power, wind power and hydropower, which have proved very successful in the region, according to Villagrán-Cepeda.

In recent years, NEVs, lithium batteries and photovoltaic products have become a fresh calling card for showcasing China’s manufacturing shift toward high-end, intelligent and green development.

This transformation has not just contributed to China’s green transformation but has had an effect worldwide, including in Latin American countries, which have become an increasingly important market for China’s NEV exports.

There is a big, big opportunity for Latin America in the green field, and Latin America is open for Chinese technology and products, Villagrán-Cepeda said.

As the China-Ecuador Free Trade Agreement just took effect on May 1, Ecuador has gained momentum in its green transformation, while helping Chinese companies go global.

Australian watchdog demands X take down video worldwide

Twitter’s official profile on a smartphone screen features the white letter X on a black background, Berlin, Germany, July 24, 2023. /CFP

Twitter’s official profile on a smartphone screen features the white letter X on a black background, Berlin, Germany, July 24, 2023. /CFP

Australia’s online watchdog told a court on Friday that it was seeking worldwide removal of X posts that show a Sydney stabbing, a test of the social media platform’s legal responsibilities and the use of geoblocking.

Lawyers for the eSafety Commission told the Federal Court that X had not taken all reasonable steps to remove 65 video and audio clips of a knife attack on an Assyrian bishop. The commission has the power to demand internet companies remove illegal material, such as terrorism content, from their platforms. Following the stabbing, the commission issued several take-down notices to social media companies.

But the commission claims X only restricted the videos for users in Australia.

Tim Begbie, representing the commission, said that despite X geoblocking the video in Australia, it could still be viewed there using virtual private networks that mask a user’s location. “If, truly, the only step you can take, because of how you have set up your systems and policies, is global removal, then that is a reasonable step,” he said.

According to Begbie, while X has policies that allow the global removal of content, it has declined to use them. “X says that reasonable means what X wants it to mean. Global removal is reasonable because X wants to do it, but it becomes unreasonable when X is told to do it by the laws of Australia.” Begbie said that VPNs were used by a quarter of Australians. “This is not a proceeding about a free speech policy debate.”

Rather, he said, the case is about whether the graphic material was suitable under Australia’s Online Safety Act, and the law’s powers to “protect the public” from restricted content.

Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was allegedly slashed in the head and chest by a 16-year-old suspect during an April 15 service. It was swiftly deemed a terrorist incident by police. The bishop, who has since recovered, has supported the video’s distribution.

A lawyer for X, Bret Walker, told the court the take-down order only related to Australians’ access. He added that more consideration was needed about whether the stabbing video met the threshold for removal. Walker used the example of a war movie to highlight that just because footage depicts a murder it does not automatically meet the threshold.

He argued the same consideration was not given by the eSafety Commission when it issued take-down orders to X, making the removal notice invalid.

Justice Geoffrey Kennett extended the court’s order requiring X to block the attack videos until next week, when the issue of global removal will likely be addressed.

Owner of X Elon Musk has previously said a global ban goes beyond the powers of the eSafety Commission.

Source(s): AFP