Stranded Chinese nationals return safely to Guangzhou from Dubai

Hundreds of stranded Chinese nationals arrived safely at Guangzhou's Baiyun airport in south China on Wednesday, the first group to return since Dubai International Airport resumed limited operations after Iranian attacks.

This comes as the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Saturday, triggering retaliatory missile and drone attacks on U.S. bases across the Middle East. The escalation forced airlines to cancel thousands of flights after regional airspace closures.

Dubai International Airport, the world's busiest hub for international passenger traffic, was hit by massive explosions Saturday night when a terminal building took a direct strike, injuring four people. Video footage showed the interior devastated by the blast, with panicked travelers and staff fleeing for safety.

After more than 48 hours of complete shutdown, the airport announced Monday that a limited number of flights would resume.

Flight EK362, carrying 352 passengers, taxied to its stand at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport at 22:00. Many of the travelers showed visible excitement and relief as they reunited with relatives and friends waiting to greet them.

"I was stuck at the airport for four days because flights were suspended. I'm so happy to be able to take the first flight home today. A great strong country is behind us. I'm truly grateful to our motherland," said a Chinese traveler.

"We work in Dubai and see many missiles flying over every day. We feel relieved from several days of strain after landing in China. Only after returning to China do I realize what true security is," said another traveler.

Due to ongoing tensions, it remains uncertain when regular flights between the Middle East and China will resume. For now, only Emirates Airlines has restarted limited services, prioritizing the evacuation of stranded passengers.

Flights from Dubai to Chinese cities such as Shanghai and Guangzhou are scheduled for Thursday, but several Chinese carriers have kept their Middle East routes suspended for safety reasons. "We offer full refunds for all tours to the Middle East from March 1 to mid-March, so most customers who were eligible for refunds have already received them. Currently, we have essentially closed all routes to the UAE, Bahrain, and Qatar on our system, and we will reopen them once the situation improves," said Han Chen, vice-general manager of a travel agency based in Shenzhen City.

Stranded Chinese nationals return safely to Guangzhou from Dubai

China has set a new grain production capacity target of approximately 725 million tonnes in the draft outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), aiming to strengthen the country's control over food security amid global uncertainties, an expert said on Thursday.

Grain production capacity forms the foundation for stable output, and the proposed target builds on steady gain output achieved during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), said Tu Shengwei, a researcher at the Academy of Macroeconomic Research under the National Development and Reform Commission.

"Over the recent years, through the implementation of a new initiative to boost grain production capacity by 50 million tonnes, China's grain production capacity has been continuously strengthened. So we have a solid foundation to achieve this new target," Tu said.

The proposed target reflects the country's ambition to attain a higher level of food security in the coming five years, Tu said.   "Amid the highly complex international landscape and frequent, severe natural disasters, we must intensify the implementation of the food crop production strategy of improving farmland management and increasing the application of technology. By stepping up the new initiative to boost grain production capacity by 50 million tonnes and stabilizing production capacity at this level, we can respond to environmental uncertainties with stable capacity, hold the initiative in grain security more firmly, and create more room for macroeconomic regulation. This will also lay a stronger foundation for achieving other economic and social development goals during the 15th Five-Year Plan period," Tu said.

The grain production target is part of the broader draft outline for national economic and social development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, which is currently being deliberated by lawmakers and political advisors at China's ongoing "two sessions."

The "two sessions" are the annual meetings of China's top legislature, the National People's Congress (NPC), and the top political advisory body, the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). Both bodies serve a five-year term and hold a plenary session each year, generally in March.

The fourth session of the 14th NPC and the fourth session of the 14th National Committee of the CPPCC kicked off on Thursday and Wednesday, respectively.

New grain production capacity target to strengthen China's food security: expert