Jordan's King Abdullah II arrived in Beijing on Thursday to continue his week-long state visit to China at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
This visit marks King Abdullah II's ninth visit to China since his accession to the throne. He had visited Shanghai and Shenzhen before arriving in the capital.
China's Foreign Ministry says President Xi will hold talks with King Abdullah II and the two leaders are expected to exchange opinions on bilateral relations and international and regional issues of mutual interest.
China and Jordan established diplomatic relations in 1977. Over the past decades, the two countries have developed cooperation in areas including trade, energy, infrastructure, education and culture. In 2015, the bilateral relationship was upgraded to a strategic partnership.
This visit comes at a time when the Middle East continues to face complex challenges. Jordan has long played a role in promoting regional stability and has been actively involved in efforts related to peace and humanitarian issues. China and Jordan are expected to discuss not only bilateral cooperation, but also regional developments and ways to enhance coordination.
Jordan's King arrives in Beijing for state visit
Jordan's King arrives in Beijing for state visit
China is continuing to experience a box office boom this year, driven by a nationwide campaign to spur consumption with cheaper cinema tickets while a series of big summer releases are also enticing film fans out to theaters up and down the country.
Seen as one of the most lucrative periods of the year, China's summer box office season, which officially runs from June 1 to August 31, has now generated more than 10.7 billion yuan in box office revenue as of midday Thursday.
This has helped propel China's total box office revenue for 2026 above 26.5 billion yuan (over 3.9 billion U.S. dollars) as of Thursday afternoon, with more than 670 million moviegoers and over 96 million screenings recorded, according to the latest data from a leading Chinese ticketing platform.
The diverse line-up of summer blockbusters covers a broad range of genres, including comedy, animation, sci-fi, war, and suspense and action, offering audiences more choices and helping attract viewers from different age groups and with different interests.
Among the best performers is the anti-war film "Once Upon a Time in the Middle East," which tells the story of a chef working at a Chinese restaurant in the Middle East when war breaks out in the 2000s. It has drawn positive feedback both for its perspective on war and the vivid portrayal of life in the Middle East.
In just 10 days since its release on Aug. 11, the film has raked in over 1.2 billion yuan, catapulting it up the box office charts as it closes in on the year's biggest grossing films.
Ticketing data shows that the current top four on China's annual box office chart are the auto-racing sequel "Pegasus 3", Hong Kong director Stephen Chow's sports comedy "Kung Fu Soccer" about a team of female footballers, the touching family drama "Dear You", and animated film "All Wishes Come True!"
China launched a nationwide campaign this year to boost the cinema sector, with at least 1.2 billion yuan in subsidies planned throughout 2026 to make movie-going more affordable. Data shows the average ticket price for domestic-made movies has dropped to 39.5 yuan (less than 6 U.S. dollars) this year, some 20 percent lower in 2025.
China's summer film season continues as consumption campaign entices moviegoers
