As the New Year holiday approaches, Shenzhen ports have seen a surge in passenger traffic, driving local consumption.
Data shows that from Dec 25 to 30, passenger flow at Liantang Port reached 443,000, marking a 41 percent year-on-year increase. Of these passengers, 79.4 percent were from Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions (SARs), reflecting a 37 percent year-on-year rise.
Since the start of the general holiday on Dec 25, many residents from Hong Kong have traveled to Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, boosting business for local restaurants.
"The number of guests from Hong Kong has increased by 50 percent during the holiday. We've hired many temporary workers to assist," said Zheng Daijun, manager of a restaurant in Shenzhen.
Supermarkets in Shenzhen have also expanded their product offerings to cater to the needs of Hong Kong residents. One supermarket reported a daily passenger volume exceeding 7,000.
"Around 50 percent of our customers are from Hong Kong, which is a 10 percent increase compared to last year," said Cheng Xin, manager of the supermarket.
Additionally, seafood markets in Shenzhen are experiencing a boom in business, with demand for fresh and affordable seafood on the rise.
"Greasyback shrimp, kuruma shrimp, and small abalone are the most popular items, boosting business by 20 percent," said Zheng Jialuo, manager of a seafood shop.
Shenzhen ports see surge in passenger traffic as New Year Holiday approaches
Shenzhen ports see surge in passenger traffic as New Year Holiday approaches
The U.S. claim to take control of Greenland is unacceptable and it aims to sow division within its NATO members and its natural allies in Europe to serve its own interests, said a Spanish expert.
In an interview with China Media Group (CMG), Spanish international relations expert Javier Porras Belarra said he could not understand the U.S. position on Greenland and found the related remarks unacceptable.
"From our point of view, these U.S. statements are equivalent to an infringement on European territory, because we must remember that Greenland belongs to Denmark. That means we are facing a conflict, or at least a potential conflict, taking place on European soil, and even more broadly, between NATO member states. So U.S. President Donald Trump's claims regarding Greenland were nearly impossible to justify or accept, and the European Union is viewing this with a certain amount of astonishment, because this kind of claim from the U.S. is inconceivable," he said.
The expert said the U.S. administration has been intensifying divisions within NATO through its policies and rhetoric, while weakening ties with traditional European allies.
According to the expert, the U.S. administration is trying to undermine European unity to advance its own interests.
"The U.S. administration is deepening divisions within NATO and eroding relationships with its traditional allies, namely European countries. This is a classic 'divide and conquer' strategy. They think this will work in their favor and believe a united Europe is not in the U.S. interests, or at least not in the interests of the current administration," he said.
U.S. claim to control Greenland creates division within European allies for its own interests: expert
