A diverse film lineup continues to sustain a movie-going boom across China, with summer box-office intake staying consistently above last year's off-school season.
Surpassing 11.5 billion yuan (over 1.7 billion U.S. dollars) as of Sunday, revenues for the summer saw an increase of 500-million-yuan over earnings by the same day last year, according to industry data.
Daily ticket sales have stayed above the 100-million-yuan threshold for an unprecedented 44 consecutive days.
This summer movie season has seen more than 100 domestic and international productions across a wide range of genres hit the big screen, offering something for audiences of all ages and tastes.
Currently leading the pack are four major titles: Hong Kong director Stephen Chow's sports comedy "Kung Fu Soccer," the Chinese animated sensation "All Wishes Come True!", the homegrown anti-war drama "Once Upon a Time in the Middle East," and the Sony-Marvel blockbuster "Spider-Man: Brand New Day."
The sizzling summer performance has propelled China's year-to-date box office total past 27 billion yuan as of Saturday.
China's summer box office maintains year-over-year lead
Jordan hopes to expand bilateral cooperation with China across various sectors and elevate bilateral ties in the coming decade, Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said in an exclusive interview with China Media Group, as King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein's state visit to China continues through Monday.
Safadi is accompanying King Abdullah II on his state visit to China from August 18 to 24.
In the interview, Safadi elaborated on King Abdullah II's message, outlining a vision for the next decade that goes beyond traditional cooperation and extends into new areas of shared interest.
"As His Majesty The King has emphasized, the message we are conveying is that we want to build broader, deeper and more comprehensive relations with our friends in China, and both countries can benefit from cooperation. A strategic partnership has already been established between our two countries, and it has been more than 10 years since the relevant agreements were signed. We have witnessed many developments in bilateral relations, and there is vast space for cooperation between the two countries which can benefit both sides. We expect the next decade to be a decade of substantial enhancement in relations, with strengthened cooperation in economy, culture and many other fields. This is very important. With the foundation and political will in place, and our definite common interests, we believe that His Majesty The King's visit to China and his meetings with the Chinese President and officials will further advance the solid bilateral relations and provide broader prospects for deeper cooperation in various fields," Safadi said.
Safadi also highlighted China's rich development experience in economic growth and technological innovation, believing that strengthening bilateral cooperation will bring tangible benefits to both countries.
"Jordan's consistent policy is to strengthen cooperation with friendly countries, diversify and continuously develop that cooperation by reaching real connectivity that entails air connectivity and land connectivity. All of these are in line with the priorities set out in Jordan's economic modernization vision. As I said, our vision is built on developing and benefiting from cooperative relations with friendly countries, and such cooperation should have a positive impact on all partners," he said.
"We are a country that believes in building partnerships based on mutual respect and shared interests. China is an important country with rich and significant experience in economic development. We look forward to learning from this experience and cooperating with China in all relevant areas. Such cooperation will not only strengthen bilateral relations but also bring tangible results that benefit both countries in economic, investment, trade, technological and cultural fields," Safadi said.
Jordan eyes broader cooperation with China: deputy PM
