Chinese mainland to resume group tour services to Taiwan region for Fujian, Shanghai residents

The Chinese mainland will soon resume group tour services to the Taiwan region for residents of east China's Fujian Province and Shanghai Municipality, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism said on Friday.

The move aims to enhance interactions between people across the Taiwan Strait and facilitate their regular exchanges in various fields, the ministry said in an announcement released on its official website.

This initiative is also to address the high expectations of the public and the tourism industry in Taiwan and enhance the well-being of people across the Strait, the ministry added.

Preparations for the resumption are well underway, the ministry said, while expressing the hope that tourism industries on both sides of the Strait would strengthen communication to provide quality services and products for mainland tour groups to Taiwan.

The State Council Taiwan Affairs Office said on Friday that the move responds to Taiwan compatriots' appeals for peace, development, exchanges and cooperation.

Chen Binhua, the office's spokesperson, said the central government has always supported and promoted normal interactions and exchanges across the Strait to enhance the well-being of compatriots in Taiwan.

Chen hoped that the Democratic Progressive Party authorities in Taiwan would consider mainstream public opinion and concerns on the island.

He urged them to lift the ban on group tour services at an early date, remove travel warnings for visits to the mainland, and fully restore direct transport services to all previously designated destinations for cross-Strait travelers.

Chinese mainland to resume group tour services to Taiwan region for Fujian, Shanghai residents

The U.S. decision to temporarily ease sanctions on Russian oil is intended to help stabilize global energy markets, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Friday.

Peskov said Washington's move aligned with Russia's interests and could help calm energy markets as concerns grow over a worsening global energy crisis.

"Without significant volumes of Russian oil, stabilizing the market would be impossible," Peskov said.

He said the U.S. exemption applies only to Russian oil that was loaded onto ships before Thursday and does not signal a broader rollback of oil-related sanctions on Russia.

The U.S. Treasury Department issued a general license Thursday, allowing Russian oil shipments loaded before Thursday to be sold, delivered or offloaded through April 11, Eastern Time.

Since the United States and Israel launched large-scale military operations against Iran on Feb. 28, shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has been disrupted, sending international oil prices sharply higher. In response, members of the International Energy Agency agreed to release a combined 400 million barrels from strategic petroleum reserves.

U.S. easing of sanctions on Russian oil to stabilize energy markets: Kremlin