The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) is holding intensive foreign military interactions with several countries across three continents, reflecting China's efforts in boosting friendly military cooperation and enhancing global peace and stability, experts said on Sunday.

In Europe, the PLA Navy's Type 052D guided missile destroyer Jiaozuo and Type 903A replenishment ship Honghu is visiting St. Petersburg and attending the celebrations of the 328th anniversary of the Russian Navy before visiting Egypt, with the Jiaozuo joining a Russian naval parade on Sunday, China Central Television (CCTV) reported.

Another PLA Navy flotilla consisting of the Type 071 comprehensive landing ship Longhushan and the far seas training ship Zheng He is visiting Vladivostok, another Russian port city, for the celebrations.

In Africa, the militaries of China, Tanzania and Mozambique are holding the Peace Unity-2024 joint exercise from late July to mid-August on land and at sea under the subject of joint counter-terrorism military operations, Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesperson at China's Ministry of National Defense, announced at a regular press conference on Thursday.

According to reports by CCTV, PLA forces arrived in Tanzania by sea and air over the past days, with the PLA Navy sending two Type 071 comprehensive landing ships, the Wuzhishan and Qilianshan, and a Type 052D guided missile destroyer, the Hefei, and the PLA Air Force sending Y-20 strategic transport aircraft in a multidimensional cross-border delivery operation carrying PLA Army troops and heavy equipment such as armored and assault vehicles.

In Asia, a detachment sent by the PLA Army will participate in the Khaan Quest-2024 multinational peacekeeping exercise in Mongolia in late July, according to the Chinese Defense Ministry.

Before these ongoing events, the PLA wrapped up several other foreign military interactions over the past month, including a China-Russia joint aerial strategic patrol over the Bering Sea, a China-Russia joint naval patrols in the West Pacific and the South China Sea, the China-Belarus Eagle Assault-2024 joint army training in Belarus, and the China-Laos Friendship Shield-2024 joint drill in Laos.

China has engaged in intensive military exchanges, joint exercises and joint patrols with foreign countries recently in moves to boost friendships, understandings and pragmatic cooperation, a Chinese military expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Sunday.

Being able to hold simultaneous military interactions across three continents also shows the PLA's capabilities in global reach, as China now has a large number of advanced, ready-for-combat strategic transport aircraft and far seas-capable naval vessels, the expert said.

Many of the military interactions stress counter-terrorism, peacekeeping and regional security issues, while others are friendly visits or celebrations, the experts pointed out, noting that these events are not targeted at any specific third party or regional situation, and are conducive to peace and stability around the world.

Along with Team China, 35,000 high-performance ping pong balls and a wide array of high-tech sports gear descended on the Paris Olympics. Chinese experts and industry players said the situation reflected a profound change in the Chinese industrial sector in the past decade. 

From chip-embedded soccer balls that allow a referee a firmer grasp of match dynamics to a nano-coated judo mattress that resists stains and is easier to clean, the infusion of tech ingredients is the latest case of Chinese companies' growing manufacturing prowess, in addition to cost performance, flexibility and first-rate services, observers said.

"Our company's illuminated table tennis table is a product of constant improvement and innovation for over two decades. The three-dimensional logo utilizes advanced tooling techniques to achieve the desired balance between looks and user friendliness," Lou Shihe, general manager of Shanghai-based DHS, told the Global Times on Monday. DHS is a long-time provider of sports gear to the Olympics.

Yang Xuefeng, brand operations manager at Guangdong-based Double Fish Sports Goods Group Co, told the Global Times on Monday that his company provided 35,000 table tennis balls of "top quality" to the Paris Olympic Games.

"The ping pong balls have an elasticity tolerance under 4 millimeters, a weight tolerance of 0.015 grams, and hardness tolerance of 0.03 millimeters, surpassing International Table Tennis Federation standards. The stringent quality ensures more stable flight, precise landing and better feel," Yang said.

For the first time in the history of the Olympics, the company has innovatively incorporated ball-serving machine technology into the referee table, replacing manual labor with a machine that can precisely send the ball from the table's server to a spot in front of the player, Yang said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a routine press conference on Friday that "made in China" is one of the ways that China participates in the Olympics.

High-quality Chinese products will provide technical and service support for the Paris Olympics and make the event even more stunning visually and technologically, Mao said.

Chinese sports gear was already predominant in many major sports events before the Paris Olympic Games, but it is the Olympics that command the unparallel media spotlight and attention of the masses.

"Just as the 1988 Seoul Olympics demonstrated to the world of the capability of Corporate Japan in factory assembly production, I think the Paris Olympics showed the leading position of Corporate China in the era of smart and intelligent manufacturing," Cao Heping, an economist at Peking University, told the Global Times on Monday.

The realization of complex processing techniques requires best-in-class machine tools, as well as constant and hefty investment in a plant's production line. Sports gear production has become a miniature model of Chinese manufacturing's transformation from large-scale assembly line production to module-based intelligent production featuring high-level automation and informatization, Cao said.

From 2021-23, China has launched smart manufacturing pilot projects and built 421 national-level demonstration factories along with over 10,000 provincial-level digital workshops and smart factories, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

At an executive meeting in May, the State Council adopted an action plan aimed at advancing manufacturing digitalization, and it vowed to channel more energy into the digital transformation of the manufacturing sector to foster new quality productive forces.

Observers said the impressive debut of these high-tech sports gear products at the Paris Olympic Games epitomized the nation's steadfast efforts in transforming and upgrading its manufacturing sector, and the increased brand value and orders of numerous producers across the country showed the tangible benefits of embracing the digital trend.

In the first half of 2024, Chinese manufacturing companies' investment into technological upgrades grew 10 percent year-on-year, which was 0.5 percentage points higher than overall manufacturing investment growth, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed.

In addition to the technology elements that Chinese companies brought to the Olympics, the traditional advantages of Chinese manufacturing companies, such as advantages in scale and cost, continue to give them an edge.

Some 80 percent of the "Phryge" mascot dolls for the 2024 Paris Olympics were produced by Chinese companies, CGTN reported on Thursday, citing the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee.

Shi Lei, a manager with Ningbo-based Ningbo Donggang Sports Co, told the Global Times on Monday that the company's shuttlecock production is at full throttle to meet an uptick in demand brought by the Games, although summer is not the traditional peak season for badminton products.

"Our orders increased by some 20 percent as the Games approached, and our annual production capacity was fully booked as early as March," Shi said, adding that the value of exports to France alone increased by 35 percent year-on-year in the first half.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will embark on a 10-day trip to Asia on Wednesday. This will be Blinken's 18th visit to the so-called Indo-Pacific region since taking the post. Many US media have pointed out that Blinken's attempt to bolster relations with Asian countries this time is aimed at China.

This is a large-scale trip by the US to shore up the "Indo-Pacific Strategy," during which Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III will meet with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts, and Austin and Blinken will attend the fourth US-Philippines 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue. The intention to "encircle" China can't be more obvious. 

When Blinken talked about China-US relations at the Brookings Institution on July 1, he reiterated "competition, contestation and cooperation" and said that China hopes to become a "leading country" in the international system. He said that China's vision for the future is different from that of the US, hence, the US is going to make sure that it is the one who is effectively shaping the future. Blinken staged a typical show of Western politicians using "noble words" to spread strategic malice.

The US is currently grappling with the presidential election, and other countries are now confused about the US policies which have become uncertain. Therefore, the US hastily sent Blinken to appease its allies and give an explanation to these countries. But for Blinken's trip, its symbolic significance far outweighs its practical significance.

"Blinken's Asia trip is not expected to achieve any substantive result. The US has engaged with these Asian countries all these years, but the outcomes have been minimal. Of course, the US will not give up. It will maintain routine contact and hope that some of its needs can be met at some point in the future. At present, I think it is difficult for Washington to leverage anything in these countries." Lü Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.

From China's perspective, it should be highly vigilant about whether Biden's administration will use the remaining time to try to provoke more disputes in this region, particularly conflicts between the Philippines and China, and take it as the political legacy of this incumbent administration. 

The US has significantly strengthened its relations with several Asian countries in recent years, especially countries that are involved in territorial disputes with Beijing in the South China Sea. Just two days after China and the Philippines announced on Sunday that the two sides reached an understanding on managing the situation at China's Ren'ai Jiao (also known as Ren'ai Reef), Blinken announced his Asia trip. He will likely further promote camp confrontation during this trip. 

The US certainly doesn't want to see peace between Beijing and Manila, that's why it is now emphasizing the dispute and its determination to defend the Philippines. White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan even stated on July 19 that the US will "take all necessary measures" to ensure that the Philippines can send supplies to the illegally grounded warship at Ren'ai Jiao. These US politicians don't care about the consequences at all, because the US will not really participate in conflicts, but simply transfer risks to its proxies.

In addition, the US is in chaos domestically, and therefore Blinken's Asia trip further demonstrates that the US not only fails to handle its internal affairs, it also wants to aggravate the chaotic situation across the world.

The US has evil intentions to bolster relations with Asian countries during his trip, that is, to destroy the original development and cooperation atmosphere in this region in an attempt to make geopolitics become the focus. The US wants to build Southeast Asia into a strategic barrier to contain China. It shouts noble slogans of "democracy," "rules-based orders" and "freedom" here, but what it actually does is expand the rifts and suspicions in the region and catalyze the fermentation of every dispute. What it most wants to see is chaos in the region, which will lead to its deep involvement and the reliance of countries in the region on the US.

China always views Southeast Asia from the perspective of development and good neighborliness, while the US views this region from the perspective of major power competition. Countries in the region should keep their eyes open, make clear what the US is seeking here, what consequences it may have, and take precautions against it, so as to prevent US destructive strategies from undermining peace in the region.

American businesses reaffirmed their commitment to the China market, their major trading partner, during their visit to China with a large delegation.

Despite the challenges and complexity in the bilateral relations, the visit of the American industry representatives, immediately in the wake of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, showcased the foreign companies' eagerness to understand more about the important policies released from the meeting, as well as the fact that two countries' economic and trade ties will stay resilient despite certain "decoupling" attempts from the US government, Chinese experts said.

The delegation led by Raj Subramaniam, board chair of the US-China Business Council (USCBC), had opportunities for face-to-face talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, and other senior officials such as the Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi and the Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao earlier this week, during which both sides exchanged views on many key subjects of concerns.

Roberta Lipson, founder of United Family Healthcare and Vice-Chair of the American Chamber of Commerce in China, who also participated in the meetings as a member of the delegation, told the Global Times on Thursday that the face-to-face discussions during the visit helped to build confidence.

Every year the board of directors of the USCBC sends a high-level delegation of executives to give feedback, exchange ideas and learn from the leadership of China's government. Lipson said that the US-China relationship has had its challenges over the last few years, exacerbated by the lack of contact and dialog during the COVID pandemic.

"Although both government-to-government and people-to-people contacts have been recovering and growing for the past year and a half, the challenges of the post-pandemic economic recovery, as well as competitive, strategic and security issues continue to make for uncertainty," she noted.

Despite these vicissitudes in the relationship, Lipson said that business has continued to work on trade and investment, which creates jobs, improves quality of life and prosperity for both countries. "The face-to-face discussions of this visit helped to build confidence," she noted.

To Lipson, this visit comes at an opportune time, immediately after the third plenum, which outlines the development strategy for China over the next five years.

"Our visit at this time was a unique opportunity to hear directly from China's leadership about the third plenum's plans for strategic development; including a continued commitment to reform and opening-up, evening the playing field for the private market and SOEs, and increasing market access for foreign investment," Lipson said.

The delegation also had the opportunity to give feedback about challenges they were facing in their business. This, Lipson said, "along with the warm reception of our hosts, all have served to increase the confidence of the visiting executives."

In a meeting with the delegation led by Subramaniam on Tuesday, China's Commerce Minister Wang Wentao noted that China will continue to open up, and welcome enterprises from all over the world, including those from the US, to continue to explore the China market and share development opportunities.

Subramaniam said in the meeting with Wang that China has sent a positive signal to the world to further deepen reform and expand opening-up, which has enhanced market confidence, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

Economic and trade cooperation is a stabilizing force for bilateral relations. Subramaniam said that the USCBC and its member companies support the expansion of economic and trade cooperation between the two countries and will continue to be committed to long-term development in China.

"The visit of such a large delegation of the US businesses to China reflects the fact that many American companies are still hoping to maintain close relations with China, their major trading partner, in order to better secure their business interest," He Weiwen, a senior fellow from the Center for China and Globalization, told the Global Times in recent interview.

Their visit once again demonstrated that they attached great importance to the China market and that the two countries will not and cannot "decouple" from each other, He said.

China created 6.98 million urban jobs in the first half of this year, achieving 58 percent of its annual target, China's Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security said on Tuesday, highlighting the country's labor market has remained broadly stable.

The urban unemployment rate stayed low during this period, falling to 5 percent in June, a year-on-year decrease of 0.2 percentage points, which indicated a stable and positive trend in the job market, the ministry said.

The ministry predicts the positive trend will persist in the second half of the year, supported by comprehensive favorable policies and the advancement of new quality productive forces. 

Employment among key groups, such as college graduates and migrant workers, also remained stable, with more than 30 million individuals from impoverished backgrounds employed by the end of June, the ministry said.

The stable trend was largely driven by ongoing economic revival, increased service consumption and robust growth in advanced manufacturing sectors, such as high-end equipment and new materials, the ministry noted.

The country's employment outlook is to remain stable, buoyed by the ongoing economic rebound and the progressive impacts of favorable policies, analysts said.

The ministry highlighted the significance of new quality productive forces in generating high-quality jobs.

In recent years, the demand for talent in advanced technology sectors including artificial intelligence has also surged, with job openings for large language development increasing by 605 percent year-on-year, according to Zhilian Zhaopin, a Chinese job-hunting platform.

However, the ministry emphasized that challenges remain, including a complex external environment, insufficient domestic demand and some firms' operational pressures. Job seekers from certain sectors may still encounter difficulties, indicating that unwavering efforts are required to achieve job targets and maintain market stability.

Workers load domestically manufactured pressure vessel tanks for export in Zhangjiagang Port, East China’s Jiangsu Province on July 19, 2024. According to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics, China’s exports for the first half of 2024 amounted to 12.13 trillion yuan ($1.67 trillion),marking a 6.9% increase from the previous year. Photo: VCG

China and Brazil have set up a pilot program to trace the cross-border movement of beef, according to China Media Group (CMG).

The program was born out of recent bilateral consultations between GS1 China and competent authorities in Brazil to promote the sustainable development of beef trade between China and Brazil, the report said, noting that the bilateral cross-border trade traceability cooperation will help crack down on counterfeit beef products and ensure food safety.

The consultations were held with Brazilian representatives and experts in beef trade, food safety traceability, and environmental protection. They focused on the buildup of a globally unified beef traceability platform to guarantee the transparency of the beef supply chain and realize full-chain visibility.

The two sides held a unanimous opinion that globally unified standards are the foundation for conducting cross-border food traceability monitoring and are of vital significance in cracking down on counterfeit beef, ensuring domestic food safety, and improving the level of smart supervision.

GS1 China is a government agency under the State Administration for Market Regulation tasked with organizing, coordinating, and administrating article numbering and Auto-ID work throughout China.

The report said the consultations marked a new step between the two countries in beef trade and paved the way for further deepening of cooperation.

Zhou Zhiwei, an expert on Latin American studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Wednesday that as the largest buyer of Brazilian beef, as well as other commodities such as soybeans, China has the right to demand that Brazilian exports meet certain health, safety, and quality standards. The setup of a traceability scheme could help achieve that.

Last March, ahead of a state visit by Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to China, China resumed imports of Brazilian beef following a brief hiatus over a case of mad cow disease.

In addition, Zhou said such a system will be conducive to Brazil's efforts in promoting green agriculture.

China, the world's largest importer of beef, mainly imports beef from countries including Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay.

Along with China's economic recovery, its beef imports continue to rise. In 2023, China imported 2.74 million tons of beef, with more than 40 percent sourced from the South American producer, data from Chinese customs showed.

China set a new record for foreign trade in goods in the first half of 2024, representing a year-on-year increase of 6.1 percent to 21.17 trillion yuan ($2.9 trillion), data released by the General Administration of Customs (GAC) showed on Friday.

The data was released ahead of the third plenary session of the 20th Communist Party of China Central Committee, which will be held from July 15 to 18 in Beijing. Chinese experts noted that the better-than-expected trade performance indicated that despite geopolitical uncertainties, Chinese modernization is steadily advancing with the continuous improvement in its industrial structure. 

Over the past years, China has continued to open its doors to the world, greatly contributing to the stability of the global industrial chain and supply chain, injecting more growth momentum into the world's economy, analysts said.

Data also showed that the world increasingly needs China's high value-added products, strongly denying the US-led "decoupling" attempts, they noted.

According to the GAC, the country's foreign trade for the first time in the same period in history exceeded 21 trillion yuan. Moreover, the growth rate of the country's foreign trade accelerated quarter by quarter, growing 7.4 percent in the second quarter, 2.5 percentage points higher than the first quarter and 5.7 percentage points higher than the fourth quarter of last year.

In June, the country reported a 5.8 percent of growth in its foreign trade, continuing to maintain good momentum of stable development, according to the GAC.

"The data not only showed the steady growth of China's foreign trade, but also reflected the country's resilience and adaptability against global economic fluctuations," Wang Peng, an associate research fellow at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Friday.

Moreover, the better-than-expected performance showed that Chinese modernization is steadily advancing, and the country's products have become more competitive in the global market thanks to its industrial upgrading, said Tian Yun, a veteran economist based in Beijing.

"Boosted by foreign trade, the country's economic growth in the first six months will reach about 5 percent," Tian said, predicting that the total value of China's imports and exports for the whole year will also set a new high.

Exports of China-made electromechanical products have become one of the highlights of the country's foreign trade from January to June. The GAC said that during the period, China's exports of electromechanical products reached 7.14 trillion yuan, an increase of 8.2 percent, accounting for 58.9 percent of the total value of exports. 

Among them, exports of automatic data-processing equipment and its parts and components totaled 683.77 billion yuan, representing an increase of 10.3 percent. Exports of integrated circuits rose 25.6 percent to 542.74 billion yuan, and exports of automobiles stood at 391.76 billion yuan, soaring 22.2 percent compared with the same period last year.

Wang noted that the significant growth of electromechanical product exports is further proof of China's solid position in the global industrial chain, especially in the field of high-tech products.

 "Behind this growth are the nation's continued efforts in scientific and technological innovation, industrial upgrading and brand building," Wang said.

Exports in both the electronic information industry and automobile and ship manufacturing saw strong increases in the first six months, further confirming that China's industrial upgrading is progressing smoothly, and its competitiveness in the emerging industries continues to strengthen, Tian told the Global Times on Friday.

Moreover, the fact that China's share of trade in services and goods in the world is still growing shows that the country has not been affected by the "decoupling" efforts of the US and some Western countries, Tian noted.

As the country's exports in June recorded an 8.6 percent growth from a year earlier in dollar terms, some foreign media outlets reported that China's trade surplus soared to the highest since at least 1990 in June, alleging that the increase in manufacturing and shipments and the increasingly unbalanced nature of Chinese trade has rung alarm bells around the world.

Tian blasted the above-mentioned remarks, noting that the allegation reflects the concern of some countries that China's high value-added products will have an impact on local enterprises when they enter their markets.

"The excellent performance of China's exports was based on the competitiveness of domestic industries and the recognition of international markets. The popularity of Chinese products in the global market is due to their advantages of cost-effectiveness and reliable quality. Protectionist practices will only undermine the fairness and transparency of international trade," Wang noted.

The Chinese government has been strengthening its support and services for its opening-up policy, providing both domestic and foreign-funded enterprises with a broader space for development and a fairer competitive environment.

Four Chinese government departments including the Ministry of Commerce and the People's Bank of China on Friday jointly issued opinions on strengthening the coordination of commerce and finance to support the high-quality development of cross-border trade and investment.

The opinions cover 11 measures including optimizing comprehensive financial services for foreign trade, facilitating the development of cross-border trade and investment, and optimizing the payment and settlement environment.

Despite US government restrictions on exports of advanced products, the country's chip equipment makers are still increasingly dependent on the Chinese market, with exports to China accounting for more than 40 percent of total sales. 

The dependence underscores the highly globalized semiconductor sector, which cannot be stopped by US technology restrictions, experts said.

According to a report by Nikkei Asia, China accounted for 43 percent of sales at Applied Materials in the February-April period, up 22 points on the year. China's share of sales at Lam Research rose 20 points to 42 percent for the January-March period.

This trend seems to run counter to Washington's plans under export curbs targeting China.

In 2022, the US government imposed restrictions on the export of advanced chips and chip manufacturing equipment used in the production of semiconductors, in an effort to contain China's semiconductor development.

Despite the technology blockade, American chip equipment manufacturers are finding it increasingly difficult to decouple from the Chinese market due to China's continued strong equipment spending and significant investments in the industry, Xiang Ligang, a telecom industry expert based in Beijing, told the Global Times on Sunday.

"China's rapid growth in chip manufacturing has created a huge demand for various equipment. While the US is also building factories, their efficiency is lower and they do not have as much growth space. From this perspective, demand in the Chinese market is high, and American manufacturers are certainly eager to sell to China," Xiang said.

A report from Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International released on July 9 showed that global wafer fab equipment sales are projected to increase by 3.4 percent year-on-year in 2024, reaching a new record of $109 billion. 

China is stepping up investment in the chip sector. 

The Shanghai Stock Exchange announced Sunday that it will officially launch a chip design themed index and a chip materials and equipment themed index on its Nasdaq-style sci-tech innovation board starting from July 26 to provide more investment options in the semiconductor industry for the market.

As of June, 102 semiconductor-related companies were listed on the sci-tech innovation board, with a total market value of 1.5 trillion yuan ($207 billion), accounting for 31.7 percent of the total market value of the board, according to the China Securities Journal.

China added another three entry ports to its 144-hour visa-free transit policy on Monday, expanding the policy coverage to 37 ports in total, which will help boost local inbound tourism where the ports are located and promote local economic development through the lifting of services industries and consumption.

The expansion also marks China's ramped-up efforts to improve opening-up in the services sector, analysts said.

The National Immigration Administration (NIA) announced that China's 144-hour visa-free transit policy will be extended to three more entry ports, taking the number of ports covered by the policy to 37.

The three new ports are Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport in Central China's Henan Province, Lijiang Sanyi International Airport and the Mohan railway port in in Southwest China's Yunnan Province, the NIA said in a statement.

Starting from Monday, the 144-hour visa-free transit policy at the Zhengzhou airport allowed visitors to travel within the administrative region of Henan. Additionally, the specific area covered by the 144-hour visa-free policy in Yunnan Province will be expanded from the previous Kunming to include eight other cities and regions, such as Lijiang, Dali and Xishuangbanna.

The Mohan railway port will greatly facilitate the entry of foreign tourists entering China through the China-Laos Railway, as Mohan is an important station of the railway at China's border with Laos, Yang Yong, a professor and deputy director of the School of Economics and Management at East China Normal University, told the Global Times on Monday.

"The main sources of Chinese inbound tourism are still concentrated in East and Southeast Asian countries. Therefore, the two newly added transit ports in Yunnan can greatly facilitate the entry of Southeast Asian tourists and enhance the development of Yunnan's tourism," Yang said.

The effect of the visa-free policy has already begun to show results. Driven by policy and market factors, inbound tourism in Kunming ushered in a fast lane of development.

In the first half of the year, foreigners coming to China through Kunming Changshui International Airport, which is a 144-hour visa-free transit port opened in January 2019, continued to increase, with people entering for travel accounting for 77.62 percent. Among this group, the number of foreigners from Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Laos and Vietnam ranked in the top five, according to official data.

According to statistics from the NIA, in the first half of 2024, a total of 14.635 million foreign nationals visited China, up 152.7 percent year-on-year. Among them, 8.542 million foreigners entered China through visa-free policies, accounting for 52 percent, an increase of 190.1 percent year-on-year.

"As China continues to open up to the outside world, it is not only necessary to increase economic cooperation but also to increase cultural exchanges. Tourism is an important way to promote people-to-people exchanges," said Yang.

In the past, domestic tourism and outbound tourism developed at a fast pace and became the major growth engine of the tourism sector in China. However, with the introduction of more and more inbound tourism facilitation policies, it is believed that inbound tourism will also develop in an increasingly better way, Yang noted.

"Especially for tourists from Europe and the US, who had little understanding of China before, visa facilitation can greatly promote their travel interest in China," Yang said.

Foreign citizens from 54 countries including the US, Canada, the UK, Austria, Belgium, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar who enter China through the designated entry ports and hold valid international travel documents and connecting tickets to a third country or region within 72/144 hours, will be allowed to stay in designated areas for tourism, business, and visiting relatives visa-free, according to the NIA.

The visa-free policy has played an important role in promoting inbound tourism, Jiang Yiyi, a vice president of the School of Leisure Sports and Tourism at Beijing Sport University, told the Global Times on Monday.

The visa-free policies launched in January 2013 have played a crucial role in supporting China's high-level opening-up and facilitating international travel and exchanges, the NIA said in a statement.

"In recent years, China has accelerated the supply-side reform of tourism, having promoted the in-depth integration of culture and tourism, and created a wealth of high-quality tourism products. Cultural tourism experiences, such as watching Chinese dramas, wearing hanfu and visiting museums, allow inbound tourists to have a deep understanding of Chinese culture and experience local characteristics." Jiang said.
China's overall reception capacity and public service level of inbound tourism have been continuously improved, and the shortcomings such as payment facilities have been further solved, providing foreign tourists with international-level travel services, Jiang noted.