The International Organization for Standardization's Technical Committee on Tourism and Related Services (ISO/TC 228) held its annual plenary meeting in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, from May 11 to 16, marking the first time the committee's annual meeting has been held in China.
During the meeting, the Chinese delegation submitted three proposals for new tourism standards, which will be put to a vote under established procedures to determine whether project work should begin.
The annual meeting brought together more than 100 delegates from over 30 countries and regions, as well as representatives from four international organizations. Discussions were held across 10 working groups, covering a range of topics proposed by six countries, including China, Spain, and Brazil.
The three new standard proposals submitted by the Chinese delegation - on rural tourism and tourism marketing, among other topics - received broad recognition.
Following the meeting, the proposals will proceed through the required procedures, including a vote on whether to officially launch the drafting process.
Manuel Otero, chairman of ISO/TC 228, said that China has made remarkable progress in the field of tourism standardization every year. "It is something that we can see, not only in one report or in one speech; it's something that you can see in the street when you walk around the city, when you see how clean it is, when you see how are you using the renewable energy," said Otero.
The ISO/TC 228 is widely regarded as the most authoritative international standard-setting body in the global tourism sector.
Since China officially joined in 2005, it has taken the lead in developing 12 international standards and has, so far, helped publish four tourism-related ISO standards. China is among the countries with strong engagement and notable results in this area.
ISO tourism standards committee concludes first annual meeting in China
The 10th China-Russia Expo opened on Sunday in Harbin, the provincial capital of Heilongjiang in northeast China, highlighting the resilience, vitality and mutual benefits of China-Russia economic ties.
Held from May 17 to 21, this year's expo covers a floor space of 55,000 square meters, with more than 1,500 companies from 46 countries and regions taking part. Nearly 300 Russian companies are attending, while over 5,000 buyers are expected.
Since 2014, the event has attracted more than 7,200 Chinese and Russian companies and over a million visitors.
The China-Russia Expo is the largest comprehensive exhibition platform between the two countries.
President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin each sent congratulatory letters to the event, encouraging all sectors from both countries to seize the opportunity, make full use of their geographical proximity and economic complementarity, and further expand all-round practical cooperation.
"Leaders of the two countries have signed agreements to deepen practical cooperation, which we fully support. Russia and China stand side by side for common development, benefiting young people and all people. Such cooperation is timely and far-reaching. We are here in Harbin for the China-Russia Expo, coming from Russia's Sakha Republic. Our region is dominated by agriculture. We are seeking advanced farming technologies including irrigation equipment and harvesters. We hope to reach deals in the coming days to boost local development," said Vasiliy Petrovich Alexeev, head of Ust-Aidan Region of the Russian Federation.
"We are greatly inspired by the congratulatory letters from the heads of state of China and Russia. We will keep building targeted and efficient cooperation platforms, and smooth channels for sub-national exchanges between China and Russia," said Chen Shijun, president of Heilongjiang Council for the Promotion of International Trade.
China-Russia trade volume has surpassed 200 billion U.S. dollars for three consecutive years. China has been Russia's largest trading partner for 16 years running.
In the first quarter of this year, bilateral trade volume hit 60 billion U.S. dollars, a year-on-year increase of more than 14 percent.
This year's Expo features eight major exhibition zones. Beyond the exhibition halls, Russian delegations have also conducted field visits to Chinese companies. A delegation from the Republic of Buryatia visited one of northeast China's largest building materials distribution centers to explore potential areas of cooperation.
"Regular China-Russia economic and trade events continuously bring fresh cooperation opportunities for both sides. This field trip to Xilong Building Materials Market has helped us explore more practical directions and modes for bilateral cooperation," said Alexei Tsydenov, head of the Republic of Buryatia of the Russian Federation.
"Relying on Buryatia's abundant mineral resources and sound logistics conditions, we plan to build industrial parks focusing on home building materials, mineral resources and energy sectors in Russia. We will introduce advanced Chinese technologies and management models to drive coordinated industrial upgrading between the two countries," said Wu Jinrong, vice president of Harbin Xilong International Trade and Logistics Park.
From everyday consumer goods to advanced helicopters, and from mineral resources to intelligent robotics, China-Russia cooperation now spans a wide range of sectors. Economic ties and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries continue to advance toward higher-quality development and broader prospects.
China-Russia Expo promotes trust, cooperation, mutual benefit
