International passenger flows into south China's Shenzhen City have surged this year, driven by a series of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) events.
As the host of the 2026 APEC, China will hold the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province in November. Approximately 300 APEC-related meetings and events will take place in multiple Chinese cities throughout the year.
According to data released by Shenzhen General Station of Exit-Entry Border Inspection on Tuesday, the number of foreign arrivals and departures had already surpassed five million, reaching the milestone 58 days earlier than last year.
Travelers from APEC economies accounted for over 3.4 million crossings through Shenzhen ports, more than 68 percent of all foreign traveler crossings and up 23 percent year on year.
China's expanded visa-free policies in 2026 is another engine driving a major boom in inbound tours. According to official data, over 77 percent of foreign visitors entering China in the first half of the year enjoyed visa-free entry policies.
Visa-free arrivals to Shenzhen have surpassed 1.2 million, accounting for nearly 51 percent of all foreign entries and marking a 47-percent year-on-year increase, according to the Shenzhen General Station of Exit-Entry Border Inspection.
APEC 'China Year' drives surge in int'l traveler flow at Shenzhen ports
China's machinery industry posted steady performance in the first half of 2026, with speeding-up transition, according to information released by the China Machinery Industry Federation (CMIF) on Thursday.
The added value of major machinery enterprises rose by 6.4 percent year on year in the first six months, the CMIF said.
Of which, five main categories of national economic industries, namely general equipment, special devices, automobiles, electrical machinery and instrument manufacturing, all saw an over 6-percent year-on-year growth in their added value.
During this period, major machinery companies posted total operating revenue of 16.1 trillion yuan (about 2.39 trillion U.S. dollars), up 6.5 percent year on year, the CMIF said.
Revenue across 14 sub-industries all achieved year-on-year increase, among which the growth rates of the electrical appliances, construction machinery, machine tools, robot and intelligent manufacturing exceeded 10 percent.
In the first six months, China's machinery industry recorded a total value of 692.76 billion U.S. dollars in goods import and export, up 15.9 percent year over year. The export growth to the Belt and Road countries, RCEP member countries, the European Union, and ASEAN all exceeded double digits.
Meanwhile, the green energy transition has driven the output of nuclear power, hydro-power and wind turbine units to rise by 92.0 percent, 51.9 percent and 11.5 percent, respectively, providing equipment support for the construction of a new energy system.
China's machinery industry records stable growth in H1
