A key strait connecting Hainan, southern China’s island province, and the rest of the Chinese mainland is handling increasing passenger and cargo volumes as island-wide special customs operations were launched on Thursday in the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP).
The Qiongzhou Strait, which connects Hainan with south China's Guangdong Province, recorded growing transportation volume of passengers and vehicles in December. As of Wednesday, the two figures increased by 14.1 percent and 13.6 percent month-over-month, respectively. Specifically, its transportation volume of new energy vehicles surged 19.4 percent.
The strait also reported a 12.7 percent month-over-month increase in its RoPax vessel departures in December.
"The maritime department of Guangdong Province rapidly made specialized contingency plans and task lists, establishing a four-tier emergency response mechanism for vehicle congestion on the Qiongzhou Strait. Once the number of vehicles waiting to cross reaches the threshold, emergency berths will be activated, temporary routes will be opened, cross-regional traffic coordination will be implemented, and support for essential supplies will be ensured to guarantee efficient and safe transportation for both vehicles and passengers," said Xie Daoguo, deputy director at the Xuwen Maritime Affairs Office under Zhanjiang Maritime Safety Administration.
Launching island-wide special customs operations in Hainan FTP is widely seen as a landmark in China's efforts to promote free trade and expand high-standard opening-up.
Under the new arrangements, the tropical island of more than 30,000 square km has been designated as a special customs supervision zone, marking a new stage in the development of the Hainan FTP.
The share of zero-tariff products in the Hainan FTP has been raised from 21 to 74 percent, and the list of related items has expanded from 1,900 to over 6,600.
Zero-tariff goods processed in Hainan may be sold to the mainland duty-free if their local processing generated an added value of 30 percent or more.
Key strait between Hainan, mainland handles increasing passenger, cargo volume as Hainan further opens up
Tens of thousands of Cambodians took part in a massive rally on Thursday in the country's capital, Phnom Penh, marching through the streets to call for peace as the recent round of fighting with neighboring Thailand dragged into its 12th day.
The participants, waving the Cambodian national flag and holding banners, walked for about 40 minutes to the city's Independence Monument Park, in the third "March for Peace" demonstration so far this year after two similar events held in August and June.
Organized by the Union of Youth Federations, the event called for an end to the ongoing border conflict between Cambodia and Thailand, which erupted on Dec 7 and has so far caused scores of deaths on both sides. It also aimed to highlight Cambodia's commitment to peace and its adherence to the ceasefire agreement signed with Thailand on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Malaysia in October.
Since the long-running border dispute erupted into violence again, more than 450,000 Cambodian civilians have been displaced, according to the country's interior ministry.
"Our people living along the border are feeling afraid and anxious, and everyone cannot work as they have to flee the areas they used to live in. I would like to ask the international community to look at it in order to find justice for Cambodia. Cambodia needs peace. Cambodia only need prosperity as we previously had. We don't want war. So, the one who is invading Cambodia, please stop from now on," said Nhap Tevy, a local of Phnom Penh who took part in Thursday's march.
"I take part in this event to support our country so that we don't have conflict anymore. We don't want the conflict. We want safety for our people, as the conflict causes some of our people to die. In our village, we have also gathered some donations to help our displaced people and soldiers," said Prak San, another participant from Cambodia's Kandal province.
The border tensions, which originate from a long-standing territorial dispute between Cambodia and Thailand, first turned violent in July this year.
A peace agreement signed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in late October aimed to stop the fighting. It included plans to remove heavy weapons and clear landmines.
However, the deal has mostly fallen apart, with both Cambodia and Thailand accusing each other of breaking the rules. Heavy fighting has continued in several border areas, despite international mediation efforts.
Thousands march for peace in Phnom Penh, calling for end to border conflict with Thailand
