Shanghai has launched a new campaign to attract more foreign consumers to boost spendings and position itself as an international consumption center by providing convenience, diverse experiences, and new trends.
The "Love Shopping Shanghai" global promotional event, the core program of the 5th Shanghai "Double Five" shopping festival, officially kicked off on Wednesday.
At the launch ceremony, the "Love Shopping Shanghai" international friendly handbook was unveiled, highlighting the city's convenience such as hassle-free payments, diverse experiential scenarios, and popular exhibitions, as well as local recommendations for dining, accommodation, transportation, sightseeing, shopping, and entertainment.
In addition, the first batch of 14 malls were awarded the "International Friendly Mall" title.
"Our departure tax refunds have increased nearly tenfold compared to last year. We will introduce a series of Shanghai's first-store brands and provide corresponding services to facilitate cross-border payments and departure tax refunds," said Ye Yifan, executive director of the New World Daimaru Department Store in Shanghai.
"Currently, foreign consumption accounts for about 30 percent of our mall. Going forward, we will try to provide services with more foreign languages," said Yin Qin, deputy general manager of Bailian Outlets.
Financial institutions and transportation authorities in the city have also rolled out new measures to attract foreign consumers.
"We have partnered with over 300 businesses to provide exclusive departure tax refund services, offering instant refunds at 13 popular shopping malls," said Zhang Xinyuan, deputy general manager of the Bank of China Shanghai Branch.
"Shanghai's two major airports have launched in-terminal coffee culture festivals, shopping discounts, and payment-based price slashes to customize exclusive benefits for passengers," said Zhao Haibo, vice president of the Shanghai Airport Group.
The new campaign will also intensify its promotional efforts overseas to attract more international visitors to experience Shanghai's new landmarks, shopping scenes, and emerging business formats.
"During the recent May Day holiday, foreign consumption accounted for nearly half of the total. So, we hope to not only attract foreign consumption during festivals, but also showcase Shanghai's latest development in everyday life," said Liu Min, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce.
The Double Five shopping festival, launched in May 2020, is part of China's wider efforts to revive consumer confidence and boost domestic consumption.
Shanghai launches new campaign to boost consumption
A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi made a hard landing in Iran's northwestern province of East Azerbaijan on Sunday, state-run IRIB TV reported.
Raisi’s helicopter was part of a convoy of three helicopters which was on its way from Khoda Afarin County, where Raisi had attended the inauguration ceremony of a storage dam along with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev, to the provincial capital Tabriz where Raisi was scheduled to attend the inauguration of a petrochemical complex, according to the report.
"On May 19 local time, the helicopter carrying Iranian President Raisi made a hard landing in East Azerbaijan in northwestern Iran. According to our investigation in Iran, the incident took place near the Varzaghan area of East Azerbaijan. From the live broadcast on Iranian national television, we can see that the entire area of the accident site is in a state of severe foggy weather, which caused great trouble to the search and rescue work. In addition to Iranian President Raisi, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the governor of East Azerbaijan Province, and other officials and entourage were also on the helicopter," said Li Jiannan, a CCTV reporter in Iran.
Speaking to IRIB TV, Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi attributed the helicopter's rough landing to the unfavorable weather conditions, which he said also impacted search and rescue work.
The head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society Pirhossein Kolivand told IRIB TV that 40 rapid reaction teams had rushed to the scene and were monitoring the region while noting that there were difficulties in reaching the scene by land or by air due to the mountainous terrain and the bad weather conditions.
Kolivand, however, said drones were being used to search the region.
Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Mohammad Baqeri has ordered the army, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and the police to make all-out efforts to search for and rescue the president and his accompanying team, said the Iran Newspaper.
Speaking to IRIB TV, Iranian Health Minister Bahram Einollahi said medical teams had been stationed near the possible crash site.
Iranian government spokesman Ali Bahadori Jahromi said in a post on social media platform X that Vice President Mohsen Mansouri and several cabinet members were on their way to Tabriz after a meeting in Tehran.
Following the incident, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei expressed his hope that President Raisi and accompanying officials would be able to return home safely, saying that everyone should pray for them. Iranian people do not need to worry, and the work of the country and the government will not be affected, he said.
Following reports of the incident, leaders of neighboring countries, including Azerbaijan and Iraq, expressed concern over the developments and said they were ready to assist in search and rescue efforts.
The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on the same day, saying that Türkiye is following the incident and hopes that Iranian President Raisi, Foreign Minister Abdollahian and other Iranian officials are safe and healthy. Türkiye has taken action to provide support for the search and rescue operation, the statement said.
Iranian president's helicopter makes hard landing in NW province
