The 2025 (26th) Hainan Island Carnival kicked off on Saturday in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province, marking the start of various activities to be held across the island.
Running through August 31, the event revolves around the theme of "cool island summer", offering residents and visitors from home and abroad immersive new tourism experiences and vibrant scenes that highlight the integration of marine culture, leisure sports, local cuisine, and coastal festivities.
On the opening night, the island embraced a jubilant atmosphere as the festivities combined dazzling visuals, island flavors, and lively parades, transforming the tropical province into a haven of summer delight.
"It's a feeling that coastal cities elsewhere just don't offer. It seems to me that the people in Hainan have a strong sense of happiness. The whole atmosphere here is wonderful. The sunset today was super gorgeous, looking like burning clouds, and the starry sky is stunning. The setting is incredibly well done and very successful," said Xiao Bo, a tourist.
On Saturday, the night sky over Haikou was lit up by a grand drone performance, as more than a thousand drones formed intricate patterns featuring elements unique to Hainan.
The dazzling images glowed against the coastal sky, igniting gasps of awe and admiration from visitors.
Spectators captured the breathtaking moment with their phones, and the jubilant vibes reached their peak.
"The drone show is absolutely stunning. It's my first time seeing a drone performance. It was intricately designed with incredibly diverse forms, showcasing many of Hainan's symbols like its mascots and iconic dishes. It made the trip totally worthwhile," another tourist named Bao Ruiying said.
As one of China's flagship tourism festivals, the Hainan Island Carnival continues to showcase the island's distinctive charm and high-quality tourism offerings, reinforcing its reputation as a premier global tropical destination.
Month-long Hainan Island Carnival kicks off in Haikou
The "soft landing" of the China-EU electric vehicle case will greatly boost market confidence and inject new momentum into China-EU cooperation in automobile trade and investment, a spokeswoman of the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said at a press briefing in Beijing on Thursday.
He Yongqian, the spokeswoman, made the remarks after China and the European Union (EU) agreed on the necessity of providing general guidance on price undertakings for Chinese companies exporting battery electric vehicle (BEV) passenger cars to the EU.
"China and the EU simultaneously announced on Monday that they had achieved positive outcomes following multiple rounds of consultations on the EV case, a development that has drawn wide attention at home and abroad. Industry players from both sides have 'highly welcomed and fully endorsed' the outcome, saying the 'soft landing' of the case is expected to greatly boost market confidence and inject new momentum into China-EU cooperation in automobile trade and investment. Some EU politicians have described it as a positive step toward building a sustainable China-EU trade relationship, and said it demonstrated that resolving trade differences through partnership remains feasible," she said.
"Against the current international backdrop, China and the EU, acting in a spirit of mutual respect and within the framework of WTO rules, have properly addressed the EV case, which is of significant positive importance. The outcome will not only contribute to the sound development of China-EU economic and trade ties and help safeguard the stability of the global automotive industrial and supply chains, but will also send a clear and strong signal that both sides are willing to uphold a rules-based international trading order, setting a good example for countries to resolve differences through dialogue and consultation and injecting greater certainty and positive energy into global economic growth," she said.
"China appreciates the spirit of dialogue showed by the EU side and stands ready to work with the EU, building on the current positive outcomes, to further implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two sides, maintain dialogue and communication, and support stable industrial and supply chains on both sides, continue to deepen cooperation on the basis of market principles, and make active contributions to the global green transition," she added.
"Soft landing" of China-EU EV case to significantly boost market confidence: MOC spokeswoman
"Soft landing" of China-EU EV case to significantly boost market confidence: MOC spokeswoman
