China is expected to record 590 million cross-regional passenger trips during the New Year holiday from Jan 1 to Jan 3, up 19.5 percent year on year, according to the Ministry of Transport on Saturday.
During the period, railway passenger volume is expected to reach 48.223 million passenger trips, with an average of 16.075 million passenger trips per day, up 53.1 percent year on year.
The volume of passenger traffic on highways, including that of non-commercial passenger vehicles traveling on expressways and ordinary national and provincial roads, as well as that of commercial passenger transport on highways, is estimated to be 540 million trips, with a daily average of 180 million trips, a year-on-year increase of 15.5 percent.
According to data from Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing, ride-hailing demand increased by 31 percent year on year during the first three days of the new year.
Waterway transport is expected to handle a total of 2.29 million passenger trips with a daily average of 763,000, a year-on-year increase of 35.3 percent, while the civil aviation sector is expected to register 5.88 million passenger trips, up 10.49 percent year on year.
China's New Year holiday expected to see 590 million cross-regional passenger trips
China's New Year holiday expected to see 590 million cross-regional passenger trips
China's Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao outlined the key priorities of the 32nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting, which opened on Friday in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu province.
In an interview with CGTN ahead of the two-day meeting, Wang said free trade, digital cooperation and green economy are high on the agenda of the meeting.
"The key areas include advancing regional economic integration and the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific, supporting the World Trade Organization (WTO) in strengthening digital cooperation and developing green economy. At present, the international situation is marked by intertwined turbulence and chaos, with intensified geopolitical instability. The rise of unilateralism and protectionism poses serious challenges to the international economic and trade order, disrupting global and Asia-Pacific development. Against this backdrop, all parties have higher expectations for this trade ministers' meeting, hoping that it can build consensus and deliver outcomes," Wang said.
This year marks China's third time hosting the APEC meetings and the 35th anniversary of its membership.
By 2025, China had become the largest trading partner of 13 APEC economies. Trade between China and APEC economies reached 3.7 trillion U.S. dollars, accounting for 57.8 percent of China's total foreign trade.
China has signed 24 free trade agreements or economic and trade arrangements with 31 countries and regions, including 15 APEC economies. In recent years, China has also completed upgrades of free trade agreements with APEC economies such as Singapore and Peru.
The minister said that China has always been a firm supporter and an important contributor to APEC.
"We have actively shared our vast market and development opportunities with all parties. China's door to the world will only open wider and wider. Facing the common challenges, China will continue to fulfill its responsibilities as a major country, further deepen reform, expand high-standard opening-up, and continue to provide new opportunities for the Asia-Pacific region and the world with its new achievements in Chinese modernization," the minister said.
China's Commerce Minister outlines priorities for 32nd APEC trade ministers' meeting
