China's railway network saw a surge in passenger trips in the first three quarters of this year, with a total of 3.54 billion passenger trips made, up 6 percent year on year, according to the country's railway operator.
This figure represents a record high for the same period in history, said the China State Railway Group, adding that railway transportation remained safe, stable and orderly.
The railway operator made full use of newly-operating railway lines and stations to increase transport capacity and made flexible adjustments to train operation plans in the first three quarters. An average of 11,087 passenger trains were operating daily during the period, up 7.1 percent year on year, the company said.
To cater to growing market demand for tourism, wellness retreats and educational trips, railway authorities have designed specialized train routes for tourists.
A total of 1,818 specialized tourist trains were operated during this 9-month period, providing strong support for the tourism sector.
Cross-border passenger transport also gained momentum, with the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link and the China-Laos Railway handling 23.31 million and 197,000 cross-border passenger trips, respectively, during the 9-month period. This effectively facilitated personnel exchanges, as well as trade and business activities.
China's railway passenger trips up 6 pct in first three quarters
China's railway passenger trips up 6 pct in first three quarters
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei on Saturday ruled out the possibility of signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the United States within the next 24 hours, but indicated that such an agreement could be signed "in the coming days", according to reports from Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency and the Iranian Students' News Agency.
Tasnim's Saturday post on X cited Baghaei that Iran currently has no plans for its negotiating team to travel to Geneva or elsewhere in the next day or two to sign an agreement.
The spokesman stressed that the MoU "will merely serve as a framework for continuing talks" and should not be considered as "a final agreement", according to report posted on its English-version website by the Iranian Students' News Agency.
"The issues being negotiated are highly complex," with the current stage mainly focusing on ending the war and tensions, said him in the report.
On the nuclear issue, negotiations and specialized discussions are set to continue over a 60-day period, the report cited Baghaei.
Regarding Iran's frozen assets, he said, the unfreezing of Iran's national assets will be an inseparable part of any understanding, according to the report.
Baghaei noted that lifting hostile U.S. actions against Iranian vessels, issues related to the Strait of Hormuz and certain other matters are among the items being discussed at the current stage.
He added that, based on past experience, Iran would approach the diplomatic process with skepticism and caution, and would take necessary reciprocal measures if the opposing side failed to honor its commitments.
Over recent weeks, Iran and the United States have exchanged several peace proposals through Pakistan's mediation and have been working to finalize an MoU to end the war.
Earlier on Saturday, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wrote on social media platform X that a peace deal between the U.S. and Iran is expected to be finalized within the next 24 hours, and that Pakistan is preparing for the electronic signing of the peace deal immediately after.
U.S. President Donald Trump subsequently reposted Sharif's tweet on his social media platform Truth Social.
Iran-US peace MoU could be signed "in the coming days": Iranian FM spokesman
