China on Friday launched its first cross-province and cross-sea tourist train, linking the southwest Qinghai-Xizang Plateau with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and Hainan ahead of the 2026 Spring Festival travel season.
During the 14-day journey, the train will take tourists on a route combining rail, road, and sea, allowing them to explore iconic attractions in cities such as Changsha in central China, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Macao, Zhuhai, and Haikou in south China.
Passengers will be provided considered services including seamless transfer and luggage carrying throughout the entire journey. More than 70 percent of the passengers are seniors, averaging 65 years old; the oldest tourist is 81.
This train was one of the special trains launched for the upcoming 2026 Spring Festival holiday to meet consumers' different need for tourism.
China launches first tourist train connecting Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, Greater Bay Area, Hainan
Two major Qatari energy facilities shut down operations after being damaged during Iran's strikes targeting the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said on Tuesday, adding that the situation had been contained.
QatarEnergy announced on Monday that it had suspended liquefied natural gas (LNG) production following attacks on two of its energy facilities, and on Tuesday said it was suspending production of downstream natural gas products such as urea and methanol.
The shutdown sent gas prices skyrocketing on global energy markets, provoking fears of an energy crisis sparked by the conflict in the Middle East.
Speaking during his weekly press conference, Al-Ansari said that the decision to shut down the facilities was taken as a precaution, to ensure the safety of personnel and infrastructure after the strike damaged key production and processing sites.
"The damage was contained and now the operations to assess, technically, the safety of the facilities is underway. And from the defensive posture, as you have seen, we have been ready in monitoring and dealing with all of these attacks," he said.
Al-Ansari said that Qatar is committed to de-escalating the situation, and added that Qatar had not had any contact with Iran since Feb 28.
"Qatar's diplomatic stance has always been firm and clear: committed to peace, actively promoting de-escalation, advocating dialogue and consultation, and striving to resolve the conflict peacefully," he said.
Major Qatari energy facilities damaged in Iranian strikes: foreign ministry
