Chinese President Xi Jinping outlined China's principled position on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the Ukraine crisis when he jointly met the press with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Monday.
The prolonged tragedy of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is a test for human conscience, and the international community must act, Xi said.
"We call on all parties to work for an immediate, comprehensive and sustainable ceasefire in Gaza. China supports the full membership of Palestine in the United Nations, and supports restoring to Palestine its legitimate national rights and restarting the two-State solution, so as to achieve lasting peace in the Middle East," said Xi.
Xi stressed that China has stated its position on the Ukraine crisis on many occasions.
"China did not start the Ukraine crisis, nor is it a party to or a participant in it. Instead of being an onlooker, China has been playing an important role for peace. The special representative of the Chinese government on Eurasian affairs is on his third round of shuttle diplomacy," said Xi.
At the same time, China opposes attempts to use the Ukraine crisis to scapegoat or smear a third country or to stoke a "new Cold War," he said.
"History has proven time and again that at the end of the day, conflicts can only be resolved through negotiation. We call on all parties to resume engagement and dialogue to build mutual trust. China supports holding at a proper time an international peace conference that is recognized by both Russia and Ukraine and ensures the equal participation of all parties and fair discussions on all peace plans. China supports a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture in Europe," said Xi.
Xi arrived in Paris on Sunday for a state visit to France at the invitation of President Macron.
This is the second state visit by China's head of state to France in five years and coincides with the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relationship between the two countries.
Xi elaborates on China's position on Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Ukraine crisis
Xi elaborates on China's position on Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Ukraine crisis
The bustling Xiushui Business Street (Silk Street) in Beijing is experiencing a significant surge in visits paid by international tourists, thanks to the country's implementation of visa-free policy.
The business street, known for its array of shops selling a wide range of souvenirs and gifts and a vibrant shopping atmosphere, is among the top destinations for visitors from abroad.
Since earlier this year, China has implemented a visa-free policy that exempts many European ordinary passport holders from the time-consuming and costly obligation, encouraging travelers from nearly a dozen European countries to explore this Asian country. It allows ordinary passport holders of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Malaysia, Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, and Luxembourg, to enter and stay in China visa-free for up to 15 days for business, tourism, transit, as well as visiting relatives and friends .
Against such a backdrop, the business street, with a spike in international tourist arrivals, has offered popular options with distinctive Beijing features to foreign visitors.
"From January to April this year, the combined number of overseas tourists we received was expected to increase by nearly 20 times from the previous year. We've selected a batch of souvenirs that can represent Beijing for our customers, so as to make each and every of them happy," said Dong Qing, an employee of the business street.
Ibeku hailing from Nigeria was on a business trip to Beijing. She came to the business street to tailor a suit of Nigerian traditional costume with Chinese silk.
"First of all, I love fashion. So if we have Chinese silk [and] Nigerian style [together], that's like a mix of cultures, and that's what we are all hoping to get this day," she said.
Taking into account the tight schedule of foreign customers, many merchants reduce the time it takes to craft bespoke garments from the traditional four to five days down to an impressive 18 hours.
Furthermore, they also provide global mailing services for international customers who express concern about limited luggage space or tight travel schedules.
According to data released by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, the capital city received 469,000 inbound tourist arrivals in the first quarter of this year, up by 3.1 times year on year, and the foreign exchange income of tourism is 650 million U.S. dollars, a year-on-year growth of 225.8 percent.
Xiushui Business Street thrives with influx of foreign tourists under visa-free policy
