The first downtown duty-free shop in central China's Hubei Province began trial operations in its capital city of Wuhan on Friday, marking also the first such store to open in central China, according to the provincial department of commerce.
In August last year, five government departments including the Ministry of Finance jointly made a statement that a downtown duty-free shop would be opened in each of the eight cities, namely Wuhan, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Xi'an, Changsha and Fuzhou.
Previously, China had already established six downtown duty-free shops in cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Qingdao, Dalian, Xiamen, and Sanya.
The downtown duty-free shop in Wuhan marks the first newly opened downtown duty-free store in China since the new policy was implemented, the authorities said.
It is located in a luxury shopping mall within Wuhan's core commercial districts, which received over 32 million visitors last year and achieved annual sales exceeding 10 billion yuan (about 1.39 billion U.S. dollars).
The duty-free shop's investor and operator, a joint venture company, has secured cross-border direct procurement agreements with over 100 international brands. These partnerships span multiple categories including fragrance and cosmetics, wines and foods, digital electronics, luxury accessories, domestic cultural-creative products, as well as coffee and tea products.
The shop also showcases culturally distinctive intangible heritage products, as part of its strategy to promote "fashionable goods" of domestic brands in the global market.
A downtown duty-free shop refers to a store established in a specific area within a city that sells duty-free goods to international tourists who are about to embark on an outbound trip.
"These duty-free shops have specific qualification requirements for buyers. Only those holding a passport and an outbound air ticket within 60 days (inclusive) are eligible to purchase, regardless of nationality," said Wu Yan, general manager of Wuhan Wangfujing Wushang Duty-Free Products Management company, investor and operator of the duty-free shop.
Wuhan's first downtown duty-free shop begins trial operations
The Iranian government is focusing on public concerns and maintaining stable supplies of essential goods amid recent protests, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a televised interview on Sunday.
In the city of Karaj, northwest of the capital Tehran, daily life has largely continued as normal. A video filmed by a local resident on Sunday shows food stores open and grocery shelves fully stocked.
"This is the block near my home, and there are some food stores here. Daily life continues here. Last night we did not see many protests in Karaj. Right now the city is very safe. This is a grocery store close to my home. All the food is available; nothing is in shortage. Here are noodles and different types of beans. Here are dairy products, cheese, and yogurt. I also checked other grocery stores and didn't see any shortages. Everything is available," said local resident Ali Reza.
Iranian officials have described recent disturbances as acts orchestrated by the "enemy," including some carried out by well-trained and armed "terrorists." The incidents have caused casualties among security personnel and civilians, as well as property damage.
The Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani has directed authorities to severely punish the "terrorists."
Meanwhile, Iran's police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan said on Sunday that the police had raised alert levels and arrested several leaders of the troublemakers during the operations on Saturday.
President Pezeshkian noted in the interview that the normal demands of the Iranian people are reasonable and justified, but they must realize that triggering riots and carrying out terrorist acts are the enemy's attempts to undermine the country. He urged the public to remain vigilant.
Also on Sunday, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned that Tehran would regard U.S. and Israeli bases and facilities in the Middle East as "legitimate targets" if Washington takes military action against Iran. His remarks followed media reports saying U.S. President Donald Trump is "seriously considering authorizing a strike" against Iran.
Iranian state media reported that at least 109 members of Iran's security forces have been killed in clashes since the protests began 14 days ago. Meanwhile, human rights groups based outside the country said the number of protesters killed has exceeded 200, though the figure could not be independently verified.
The protests initially erupted over a sharp depreciation of the rial and sweeping subsidy reforms. Iranian authorities have blamed the unrest on foreign-linked agents and sanctions imposed by the United States.
Iranian president says government focusing on ensuring supplies amid protests
