The upcoming Duanwu Festival holiday, running from Saturday to Monday, is expected to see 687 million cross-regional passenger trips across China, up 7.7 percent year on year, according to the Ministry of Transport.
The Duanwu Festival, also known as the Dragon Boat Festival, falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar. It will be celebrated on Saturday (May 31) this year.
The ministry said that self-driving travelers will represent a large proportion of all travelers during the holiday, with the expressways to serve a daily average of 40.7 million vehicles, 98 percent of which are passenger cars.
The road network will be busier and busier from 16:00 Friday and enter the pre-holiday rush hours from 19:00 to 21:00.
For the railway travel rush from Friday to Tuesday, trains across China are expected to serve 80.5 million passenger trips. The railways will see a peak of 18.3 million passenger trips on Saturday.
As the Duanwu Festival holiday this year overlaps the Children's Day, it heralds a significant increase of short-distance self-driving tours and family trips. Meanwhile, dragon boat races and other intangible cultural heritage activities will bring an influx of travelers to popular tourist cities and their surrounding areas.
"It is expected that the four major city clusters, namely the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and, the Chengdu-Chongqing region, will become popular with travelers. Cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Chengdu will see vigorous tourism, which will drive the growth of tourist consumption, form a short-term holiday consumption boom and highlight the new vitality of the holiday economy," said Xin Minglun, deputy director of the Transport Service Department of the Ministry of Transport.
Duanwu Festival holiday expected to see 687 million passenger trips across China
Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Saturday China is willing to work with Lesotho to strengthen exchanges on governance experience, enhance coordination in multilateral affairs, and advance the China-Lesotho strategic partnership.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks when meeting with Lesotho Prime Minister Sam Matekane in the capital of Lesotho.
During the meeting, Wang congratulated Lesotho on the 60th anniversary of its independence this year, and spoke highly of Lesotho government's efforts to prioritize economic development and steer the African country onto a path of sustainable growth. Since the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in 2024, the two sides have advanced cooperation under the 10 partnership action plans unveiled at the summit, successfully implementing a number of key projects to effectively promote Lesotho's development and revitalization, Wang said.
China stands ready to work with Lesotho to strengthen exchanges on governance experience, enhance coordination in multilateral affairs, and push for greater development of the China-Lesotho strategic partnership, he added.
Calling on the two sides to firmly support each other, Wang said that China will accelerate the implementation of its zero-tariff policy for African countries, including Lesotho, expand bilateral trade, investment and industrial cooperation, facilitate broader access of Lesotho's specialty products to the Chinese market, and continue to support Lesotho's national development.
China will continue to stand firmly with African countries, uphold justice for the Global South, including Lesotho, oppose unilateralism and acts of bullying, and work together to build a community with a shared future for humanity, Wang said.
On his part, Matekane said during the meeting that Lesotho cherishes its friendship with China and the strategic partnership between the two countries, and expressed gratitude for China's valuable support for the development of African countries, including Lesotho.
Lesotho firmly adheres to the one-China principle and resolutely supports China in safeguarding its core interests, he said, noting that his country stands ready to strengthen strategic mutual trust with China, expand people-to-people exchanges, jointly implement the outcomes of the FOCAC Beijing Summit, and deepen cooperation in areas such as infrastructure, manufacturing and energy.
Matekane stressed that China's zero-tariff policy for African products will inject new impetus into Lesotho's development. He also expressed Lesotho's willingness to strengthen solidarity and cooperation with China on multilateral platforms such as BRICS to jointly address global challenges.
On the same day, Wang also held talks with Lejone Mpotjoana, minister of foreign affairs and international relations of Lesotho.
China, Lesotho to strengthen exchanges, advance cooperation
China, Lesotho to strengthen exchanges, advance cooperation
