The China-Vietnam Detian-Ban Gioc Waterfall cross-border tourism cooperation zone went into operation on Tuesday.
A colorful launch ceremony featuring traditional performances in the Chinese part of the zone in Chongzuo, a border city in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
As China's first cross-border tourism cooperation zone, the Chinese part of the zone spans approximately two square kilometers.
It began trial operations in September last year, receiving over 1,200 cross-border tourist groups and nearly 18,000 visitors.
The Detian-Ban Gioc Waterfall is the biggest cross-border waterfall in Asia. Within the cooperation zone, tourists enjoy facilitated customs clearance services, according to local border inspection authorities in Guangxi.
The official launch of the cross-border tourism cooperation zone is expected to yield valuable insights for the high-level opening up and collaboration between the two countries, said Hu Fan, vice chairman of Guangxi.
China's first cross-border tourism cooperation zone begins operation
Russia claimed strikes on Ukrainian military targets, while Ukraine reported intercepting multiple Russian drones on Monday.
Russia's Defense Ministry on Monday said that over the past 24 hours, Russian troops had struck a Ukrainian military airfield's infrastructure, along with energy and transportation facilities, as well as temporary deployment points of the Ukrainian army and foreign mercenaries.
Russian air defense units intercepted three guided bombs and 72 fixed-wing drones launched by Ukrainian forces.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on the same day that as of Monday afternoon, 74 combat engagements had taken place along the front lines, with most of the fighting concentrated in the Pokrovsk direction.
In addition, Ukraine's Air Force reported having shot down or otherwise intercepted a total of 116 Russian drones between 17:30 on Sunday and 09:30 on Monday.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated on Monday that Russia will not permit the deployment of any weapons on Ukrainian territory which threaten its security interests. He emphasized, in an interview with Russian media, that Russia must ensure its security in a context where some European nations are threatening war against it.
Regarding diplomacy, Lavrov noted the importance of the United States' position on the Ukraine issue. He said that while Russia had accepted a U.S. proposal for discussions on the issue, the United States was not prepared to accept the relevant suggestions put forward by the Russian side.
Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) stated on Monday that Ukraine and Poland were involved in the attempted assassination of Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseyev. Alekseyev, a deputy chief of Russia's military intelligence agency, was shot several times inside a residential building in northwest Moscow on Friday.
This followed an earlier announcement by the Russian Investigative Committee's spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko that the two suspects detained for the attack - Lyubomir Korba and Viktor Vasin - had admitted their involvement.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on Friday stated that the Ukrainian government was not involved in the attack.
Russia reports attacking Ukraine's military airport, Ukraine says shooting down Russian drones
