China is expecting to see a daily average of 2.15 million cross-border trips during the three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday starting from Saturday, an increase of around 12 percent compared with last year's holiday period, according to a recent estimation by the National Immigration Administration.
Also known as the Duanwu Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month in the Chinese lunar calendar.
The holiday is featured by traditional celebrations including dragon boat races and eating zongzi, a glutinous rice dumpling wrapped in reed leaves.
Ahead of the festival, ports across China are expecting to handle a growing number of inbound and outbound trips.
The Horgos Port in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region anticipates about 4,000 inbound and outbound trips every day during the holiday, marking noticeable growth.
In south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, ports are expecting peaks in cross-border trips as well, with the region's border inspection station estimating that the port of its capital city Nanning and the two ports bordering Vietnam will handle over 97,000 inbound and outbound trips in total.
According to Shenzhen's Office of Port and Entry and Exit, during the holiday, the major city in south China's Guangdong Province will handle about 2.49 million cross-border trips.
Land ports in Shenzhen and nearby Hong Kong will see significant rises in passenger trips, said the office. The increase is expected due to several grand celebrations, including dragon boat races held across Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and Macao, as well as International Children's Day, which is typically marked by growth in family travel.
The trend is particularly evident at the West Kowloon Port, an international railway passenger port located in Hong Kong with two separate port outlets administered by Hong Kong and the mainland.
"The West Kowloon Port is expecting to see over 300,000 inbound and outbound trips during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, a daily average of about 106,000," said Huang Chun, a deputy captain on duty at the port's border inspection station.
Airports in north China's Qingdao City, Shandong Province, which are expecting some 27,000 passenger trips during the holiday, will be handing out special gifts and auspicious bracelets to travelers in celebration.
China expects double-digit growth in daily cross-border trips during Dragon Boat Festival holiday
China and the European Union (EU) have agreed that it is necessary to provide general guidance on price undertakings for Chinese exporters of passenger battery electric vehicles to the EU, China's commerce ministry said on Monday.
The move aims to address relevant concerns in a more practical, targeted, and consistent manner with World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, according to the Ministry of Commerce in a statement.
Accordingly, the European Commission will issue a Guidance Document on Submission of Price Undertaking Offers. In the document, the EU confirms that it will assess each undertaking application under the same legal criteria, in accordance with the principle of non-discrimination and relevant WTO rules, in an objective and fair manner.
The progress fully reflects the spirit of dialogue and the outcomes of consultations between China and the EU. It shows that both China and the EU have the ability and willingness to properly resolve differences through dialogue and consultation within the framework of WTO rules, thereby maintaining the stability of automotive industrial and supply chains in China, the EU, and the whole world. This is conducive not only to ensuring the healthy development of China-EU economic and trade relations, but also to safeguarding the rules-based international trade order, the statement said.
On the same day, the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products (CCCME) also issued a statement welcoming the positive outcome of the consultations.
The CCCME noted that eligible Chinese EV makers may now submit price undertaking applications in accordance with the EU's guidance, and the European Commission has pledged to review all applications objectively, fairly, and under uniform standards.
The proper settlement of this case meets the shared expectations of industries along the EV supply chain in both China and Europe. It will help ensure the security and stability of related industrial and supply chains and safeguard the broader China-EU economic and trade relationship, the CCCME said.
The chamber expressed appreciation for the substantial efforts made by China's Ministry of Commerce in defending the interests of the domestic industry. It also pledged to encourage and support relevant Chinese enterprises in making full use of the consultation outcomes to protect their interests in exporting to the EU and promote healthy cooperation between the industries of both sides.
China, EU agree on price undertaking guidance for Chinese electric vehicle exporters: commerce ministry
