China experienced a moderate surge on the ninth day of the Spring Festival travel rush, with the number of cross-regional passenger trips estimated to surpass 230 million, data from transportation departments showed.
On Wednesday, railway passenger trips are estimated to reach 13.4 million, highway trips to surpass 210 million, waterway trips to reach 700,000, and civil aviation trips to hit 2.29 million, according to the data.
By 14:00 on Wednesday, 263 million train tickets for the Spring Festival travel rush had been sold, according to the train ticket booking platform 12306. To accommodate the surge in passengers ahead of the holiday, a total of 1,346 passenger trains have been added to run on Wednesday.
The roads are experiencing heavy passenger traffic, with an estimated 7.2 billion cross-regional driving trips to be made during the entire travel rush.
"We have made targeted plans to alleviate traffic congestion on different road sections. We have also strengthened safety checks on road sections that are vulnerable to low temperatures, rain, snow, and icy conditions. The priority is to ensure smooth traffic flow across the highway network, especially on key arterial roads," said Hua Lei, director of the road network management department of the Ministry of Transport.
In civil aviation, passenger traffic remains high on Wednesday, with airlines boosting capacity on key routes and during peak times.
As the travel rush starts, more vehicles are crossing the Qiongzhou Strait, which separates Guangdong Province in southern China from Hainan Island. Additional service points have been set up in the port waiting areas and along cross-strait roads to help passengers and drivers with inquiries and guidance.
The Spring Festival travel rush, known as Chunyun in Chinese, is the largest annual human migration in the world as tens of millions of Chinese people return to their hometowns to celebrate the Lunar New Year with their families. This year's Spring Festival travel rush runs from Jan 14 to Feb 22.
China sees moderate surge during Spring Festival travel rush
The coordination between Iran, China and Russia is vital for addressing new challenges facing the international community, an Iranian political analyst said on Friday.
Foad Izadi, the analyst, made the remarks while commenting on a trilateral meeting on the Iranian nuclear issue held in Beijing on the same day.
The meeting, chaired by Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu and attended by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov Sergey Alexeevich and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, focused on exploring potential pathways to revive diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving Iran's nuclear issue.
The development comes as the Trump administration has pushed for negotiations on a new agreement that would permanently prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.
During a press briefing following the meeting, Vice Foreign Minister Ma emphasized that the involved parties should work to address the root causes of the current crisis, stating that China, Iran, and Russia reject both the use of sanctions and the threat of military force.
"In Eurasia, we have three major countries: Iran, China, and Russia. So, coordination between these countries, given the fact that there are new challenges facing the international community, is going to be important. I think this is why the three countries are getting together in Beijing," Izadi told China Global Television Network (CGTN).
Beijing's statement also underscored the importance of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231, which formally endorses the 2015 nuclear agreement between Tehran and world powers.
China reiterated its readiness to support diplomatic solutions to break the deadlock over Iran's nuclear program.
"Iran-China relations are good. It is not in the interest of China for Iran to face more difficulties from the United States," Izadi pointed out.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has revealed that a new proposal is under consideration, which could help resolve outstanding issues between Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The timing of this "new proposal," coinciding with Trump's letter to Iran and the Beijing meeting, could help sustain a glimmer of hope for the continuation of nuclear negotiations, according to experts.
Iran-China-Russia coordination vital for addressing challenges: analyst
