China supports all efforts conducive to easing tensions in the Middle East and calls for all parties to start the peace process as soon as possible, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a press briefing in Beijing on Monday.
Mao made the statement in response to a media query about the talks of foreign ministers from Pakistan, Türkiye, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia on the Middle East conflict.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar hosted the four-way consultations in Islamabad on Sunday. Speaking to the press afterward, he said both the United States and Iran have expressed confidence to facilitate potential talks.
"China supports all efforts conducive to de-escalating the situation and resuming dialog, and calls on all parties to initiate the peace process as soon as possible. We appreciate Pakistan's efforts to ease the tensions, support Pakistan in continuing playing its role as a mediator, and stand ready to enhance communication and coordination with relevant parties, including Pakistan, to jointly facilitate peace, stop the fighting, and safeguard regional peace and stability," Mao said.
China backs all efforts to ease Middle East tensions: spokeswoman
Shanghai welcomed two more cruise ships on Sunday, lifting the total at Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal to three, as inbound tourism booms under China's new visa-free and travel facilitation measures.
The newly arrived ships, MSC Magnifica and Adora Magic City, joined Mein Schiff 6, which had docked a day earlier at the Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal.
During the weekend, cruise ports in Shanghai handled over 20,000 inbound and outbound passengers, with foreign nationals accounting for more than half of the total.
"Immigration service, very good, very fast. Everything very quick," said a Russian tourist.
"We going to Disneyland, it's a cool trip," said another Russian tourist.
China’s expanded visa-free entry is reshaping inbound travel. Since February, ordinary passport holders from Canada and the UK have been exempted, and arrivals from both countries have climbed sharply.
"Very good, excellent policy and anything that reduces the amount of time. We had ten days in China already," said a Canadian tourist.
Shanghai’s ports have already processed more than 10 million passenger trips this year, up 2.9 percent from 2025, underscoring sustained growth in cross-border movement. China now offers unilateral visa exemption to 50 countries, mutual visa-free access with 29, and 240-hour transit privileges to travelers from 55 nations, a policy framework that is reshaping inbound tourism at scale.
Shanghai sees surge in cruise tourism as visa policies boost inbound travel
