Customs authorities in southwest China have taken a slew of measures including adding border entry-exit inspection lanes and rolling out online customs clearance policies to facilitate the entry of an increasing number of foreign visitors amid the five-day May Day holiday starting on Wednesday. On Wednesday, at the Hekou Port of Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, a 20-member tourist group finished all the customs formalities in less five minutes with the help of the border police as they had already had their travel documentation pre-checked before arriving at the port. In efforts to cope with the large holiday passenger flow, the port has taken various measures including opening special lanes for tourist groups and allowing tourist groups to go through customs clearance online to facilitate the entry of foreigners. Besides, outside the port, local bank clerks showed the foreign tourists how to make payments in China by various means including cash payment, bank card swiping and QR code scanning, and offered them Chinese yuan cash exchange service. According to the port, some 70,000 border entries and exits are expected to be handled during the holiday. In southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, a wealth of folk performances are attracting many foreign tourists. From Wednesday to May 5, the Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport is expected to deal with more than 30,000 passenger departures and arrivals.
Chinese customs authorities take measures to deal with influx of foreign visitors during May Day holiday
The popularity of China's new energy products in the global market stems from their trailblazing innovation and market adaptation in catering to the consumer needs, rather than driven by government subsidies, which embodies the market principle of survival of the fittest, said He Yadong, spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce, on Thursday.
Chinese companies have been assiduous in research and development in the new energy sector more than two decades. Through fierce market competition, they have formed unique advantages, He told a regular press conference, nothing that China's new energy market is fully competitive, which results in the "survival of the fittest" and the continuous emergence of high-quality enterprises and products.
With regard to industrial subsidy policies, the spokesperson said such practices originated from the West, and are widely adopted by countries all over the world.
China's industrial subsidy policies abide by the WTO rules and adhere to the principles of fairness, transparency and non-discrimination, he continued, adding that all enterprises operating in China can enjoy the same benefits.
"By contrast, the United States and Europe have significantly hiked subsidies in recent years, applying massive exclusive and discriminatory practices, and set up numerous obstacles to block Chinese products from entering relevant markets. These are typical protectionist practices in breach of the basic principles of the WTO," the spokesperson said.
He also said that China's new energy products are a contribution, rather than a threat to the world," adding that the country's high-quality new energy products have enriched the global supply, promoted the green and low-carbon process, and helped achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement.
It is estimated that each new energy vehicle cuts carbon emissions by around 1.66 tonnes per year. China exported 1.2 million new energy vehicles in 2023, which will help reduce carbon emissions by about two million tonnes annually.
The development of China's new energy industry has promoted the widespread application and industrialization of green, digital, artificial intelligence and other technologies, and spawned new technologies, adding new momentum of growth to the global economy.
Popularity of China's new energy products stems from trailblazing innovation, market adaptation: spokesperson
