China's coastal islands see tourism boom amid eco‑friendly upgrades

China's coastal islands are drawing summer visitors in record numbers, as green tourism and service upgrades fuel economic renewal.

In recent days, Dawangjia Island in Dalian, northeast China's Liaoning Province, has become a popular destination. Visitors take boat cruises around the island, watching seabirds overhead and, with luck, catching sight of rare black-faced spoonbills in flight. Alongside its improved living environment, the island is accelerating the transformation of local industry.

Since the "Harmonious and Beautiful Islands" initiative began in 2022, Dawangjia has upgraded basic infrastructure and converted traditional fishing guesthouses into modern homestays. This year, the island boasts more than 60 distinct homestays, each offering a unique coastal experience.

"In 2025, we renovated and upgraded our homestay. We used to accommodate only about a dozen people, but now we can host around 80 guests," said Liu Xiuling, owner of Lihua Homestay on Dawangjia Island.

Industrial upgrades are also underway on Huiyu Island in Quanzhou City, east China's Fujian Province. The local community has developed eco-friendly aquaculture while improving the island's environment and promoting integrated industrial development and eco-tourism. Despite covering just two square kilometers, Huiyu now features ten homestays and three restaurants.

In 2023, Huiyu Island was named one of China's first Harmonious and Beautiful islands and villagers' average annual income reached 95,000 yuan (13,930 U.S. dollars). Today, the island is further refining its tourism offerings to enhance the visitor experience.

"The number of tourists has soared from just one or two scattered visitors to over 300,000 a year. In the future, we plan to develop an integrated marine farm, combining aquaculture, processing, and educational tourism to give a further boost to Huiyu Island's economy," said Xiao Qinglin, Party branch secretary of Huiyu Village.

China's coastal islands see tourism boom amid eco‑friendly upgrades

Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said Friday night that the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the United States to end the war could take place within the next few days.

In an interview with state-run IRIB TV, Araghchi said that upon finalized, the MoU will be signed digitally by both sides in their respective countries and then announced. He added that following the potential signing, both parties will commit not to initiate any other war, and will begin the second stage of negotiations, scheduled within a 60-day period, to reach a final agreement, focusing mainly on Iran's nuclear program and sanctions removal.

He stressed that Tehran insists that the only acceptable way of dealing with its highly enriched uranium will be diluting it within Iranian territory.

Araghchi also said that the potential MoU would include provisions for ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, requiring Israel to withdraw from the occupied areas.

Other key issues in the MoU include the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the full lifting of the U.S. anti-Iran naval blockade, and the release of Iran's frozen assets, he noted.

On the Strait of Hormuz, Araghchi said its management will definitely not to return the pre-war era. While Iran will retain sovereignty and a military presence, a legal system consistent with international law will be established, he said.

He ruled out tolls for passage but noted that charging service fees will be reasonable.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that the United States had "just made a great settlement of the war with Iran," with an agreement expected "over the next few days."

Over recent weeks, Iran and the United States have exchanged several peace proposals through Pakistan's mediation, and have been working to finalize an MoU to end the war.

Iran's FM says signing of MoU with US possible within few days