As global tourism continues to pick up momentum, the demand for outbound tourism among Chinese citizens is also on the rise, as data showed that the total number of visa applications processed in the first six months of 2024 has already reached nearly 70 percent of the same period in 2019, with Europe a popular choice due to the Paris Olympics.

This year has seen a notable surge in applications for travel, studying abroad and business purposes. Visa applications in the first half of this year have reached nearly 70 percent of the same period in 2019, VFS Global, an outsourcing and technology service agency told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Among these, the demand for Schengen visas is particularly in high, it added.

Taking advantage of the 2024 European Cup and Paris Olympics, coupled with the continuous growth in visa applications for study tours and visits, Europe has become a popular choice for summer outbound travel, VFS said.

"As one of our largest and most important source markets, China is experiencing a peak in visa applications. With the resumption of flights and changes in visa policies, there has been a significant increase in the enthusiasm of Chinese citizens for high-end ooutbound tourism," said Kishen Singh, Chief Operating Officer of Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong and Mongolia of VFS Global.

Most applicants are from first-tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, Singh said.

Ahead of the Paris Olympics, which starts on Friday, Chinese tourists have become more enthusiastic about traveling to France.

China Eastern Airlines said its China-France flights have transported 16,000 passenger trips with 84.48 percent load factor in the first 18 days of July before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, up 3.94 percentage points from last month.

The carrier said that during the 2024 summer travel peak, the booking volume of China-France flights surpassed the level in the same period of 2019 and the load factor saw a 1.02 percentage point increase, the carrier told the Global Times.

Before and after the Paris Olympics, many airlines, including China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines and Xiamen Airlines launched or increased direct flights to France.

China Southern Airlines plans to increase its Guangzhou-Paris route from five flights a week to seven from July 26 to September 11. Hainan Airlines also plans to start a direct route from Chongqing to Paris from August 6, in addition to the current Shenzhen to Paris route.

The number of inquiries and bookings for France and Europe has increased significantly in the past few months because of the Paris Olympics, Cheng Xin, a senior travel consultant at the travel agency UTour Group Co, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

The Paris Olympics also indirectly boosted the summer tourism market across Europe. Data provided by travel platform Qunar.com showed that from July 20 to August 20, the number of international air ticket bookings for Paris increased 2.3 times compared with the same period last year.

Cheng predicted that due to the Paris Olympics, the number of Chinese tourists to France and other European countries during the summer vacation could grow by around 30 percent year-on-year.

Visa demand from Chinese travelers has been increasing steadily since 2023 and continues to accelerate in 2024, Singh said.

Major destinations for visa applications for Chinese travelers include Canada, Germany, Italy, UK and the US. Additionally, Japan, South Korea and Thailand are popular choices among countries closer to China, he added.

Chinese poultry industry is expected to see more positive outcomes rather than any negative impact from a recent suspension of poultry exports announced by Brazil, Chinese industry analysts and insiders said on Monday, indicating the latest change on the supply side is expected to boost domestic supply and shore up a weak market.

Brazil, the world largest chicken exporter, has announced the suspension of the exports on some poultry products, effective on July 18, following a case of viral disease was detected in a chicken farm in the state of Rio Grande do Sul in Southern Brazil, the country's agricultural ministry said on Friday.

The restrictions range, depending on the destination country, from all Brazilian poultry exports to products only from Rio Grande do Sul, Reuters reported, citing the Brazilian agriculture ministry.

The restrictions affect sales to 44 nations including China, Argentina, the EU, Japan and Saudi Arabia, the ministry said.

Industry insiders said that the suspension of the Brazilian poultry products will have minimal negative impacts to Chinese market, even though the South American country holds a relatively large share among overseas supplies. Instead, it may help shore up the supplies of the alternative home-made products.

Chicken feet and chicken wings account for a significant proportion in Brazil's agricultural exports to China, and with the export of these products suspending due to the virus, the reduced supply, combined with the boost from seasonal demand in China, may support the stronger price trend of the corresponding products in the domestic market, Sun Yanan, an industry analyst from bulk commodity information platform Sci99.com, told the Global Times on Monday.

As the world's largest poultry meat exporter, Brazil's poultry exports increased by 6.6 percent year-on-year in 2023 to 5.138 million tons. China is the main buyer of Brazilian poultry meat, according to media reports.

In the first half of the year, Brazil exported 101,800 tons of frozen chicken wings, accounting for 74.77 percent of China's total imports. During the same period, the country also exported 90,300 tons of frozen chicken feet, accounting 42.79 percent of China's total imports of these products, according to Sun.

Given that Brazilian products have consistently ranked first among China's imported products for many years, with imported chicken feet and frozen chicken wings together accounting for more than 40 percent of China's total imports.

"This news is expected to lead to a stronger price trend for the chicken by-products in the short term," Sun noted.

There has been a widespread increase in prices across the chicken supply chain as the market demand recovers. The news of Brazil restricting exports has added additional fuel to the price rise.

For example, on Friday, the price of live chickens in East China's Shandong Province and North China's Hebei Province rose to 3.7-3.75 yuan per jin (0.5 kilograms), up about 10 percent from the two-and-a-half-year low of 3.39 yuan per jin on June 10.

The suspension of the corresponding products has just been put in place, it will take time for the market to digest the possible impact. However, it should be considered a rather positive news to the domestic market suppliers, an employee with Fujian-based chicken meat company Sunner Group told the Global Times on Monday.

The company's production capacity has been rising and it can accommodate the change in market demand, the person said.

China is supporting private enterprises in leading major technological breakthroughs, emphasizing the improvement of mechanisms for their participation in national projects. This is part of a series of significant measures launched following the recently concluded third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.

The third plenary session adopted a resolution on further deepening reforms designed to comprehensively advance Chinese modernization. Reforms and policies regarding the private economy are crucial components of this resolution.

The meeting highlighted the construction of a high-level socialist market economy system, while also emphasizing the need to better leverage market mechanisms to create a fairer and more dynamic market environment, stimulating the intrinsic motivation and innovative vitality of the entire society, according Han Wenxiu, executive deputy director of the office of the Central Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs.

Enterprises, as an essential part of China's economy, have played a crucial role in the development and construction of multiple innovation and high-tech fields. Enterprises have become the main source of effective invention patents in China. According to the National Intellectual Property Administration, in 2023, enterprises accounted for over 70 percent of effective invention patents, exceeding 3 million in total.

The resolution issued after the third plenary session further emphasized the importance of developing the private economy, aimed at promoting the complementary and common development of various ownership economies in China, Han said.

Further deepening reform comprehensively to advance Chinese modernization is a significant goal of this session, including attention to both private and state-owned enterprises. According to Han, China will push for independent operations and market-driven reforms of state-owned enterprises, and foster a better environment for the private sector, providing more opportunities through a long-term mechanism that supports capable private companies in leading national technological projects.

Administrative inspections involving private enterprises should be standardized, the best business environment is one governed by law, hence the need to formulate and introduce a law promoting the private economy, Han added.

Encouraging private enterprises to participate in major national projects is a development plan China highly values. Zheng Shanjie, chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China's top economic planner, stated in March that private enterprises are encouraged and supported to participate in major national projects and shortfall projects.

The NDRC will continue to recommend high-quality projects to private capital, helping private capital to find projects and assisting private investment projects in fundings, Zheng stated.

The Chinese top securities regulator has suspended securities relending starting from Thursday, as part of measures to strengthen counter-cyclical adjustments and maintain stock market stability.

Following the stimulus policy, major stocks in China closed higher at the end of trading, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index climbing 1.06 percent to 2,970.39 points. The Shenzhen Component Index rose 1.99 percent to 8,870.36 points, while the ChiNext Index jumped 2.06 percent to 1,685.12 points.

The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) said on Wednesday that it had approved an application submitted by the China Securities Finance Corp Ltd (CSF) to suspend securities relending, with the suspension taking effect on Thursday.

Existing securities relending contracts can be extended, but they should be settled prior to September 30, the CSRC said in a statement.

Securities relending refers to when the CSF lends its own securities or those raised in accordance with the law to securities companies for them to engage in secondary lending.

The CSRC said it has also approved arrangements to raise margin requirements for short-selling activities from a minimum of 80 percent to 100 percent, while the margin requirements for private equity funds will be raised from a minimum of 100 percent to 120 percent. The regulator said that the new policy will enter force on July 22.

A series of moves taken by the CSRC will help lift investor confidence and maintain the stability of the market amid recent downward pressure, Yang Delong, chief economist at Shenzhen-based First Seafront Fund, told the Global Times on Thursday.

In addition to these policies, Yang called for more long-term capitals to enter the A-share market so as to reverse the downward trend of the stock market.

"The stock market is not only a barometer of the macro-economy but could also in turn affects the economy," he said, noting that a sound stock market could contribute more to the development of sci-tech firms and create fortune for investors.

In wake of the CSRC's enhanced regulations in this regard which were first flagged in August 2023, short-selling in China has already declined drastically. The outstanding amount for short trades fell by 64 percent and 75 percent for securities lending, by the end of June this year, according to the government agency.

The latest moves made a necessary adjustment for stock supply and trade mechanism of domestic capital market, as well as responding to market voices, Dong Shaopeng, a senior research fellow from the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at the Renmin University of China, told the Global Times on Thursday.

"The moves ignited investor enthusiasm to some extent but the effect is still remains at an early stage. The market's pricing mechanism and financial fraud should be rectified and improved," he said, calling for an earnest implementation of the State Council Nine-Point Guideline.

In April, the State Council released a guideline on strengthening regulation, forestalling risks and promoting the high-quality development of the capital market. This is the third guideline document addressing capital markets issued by the State Council in two decades.

In a concerted effort to fortify the integrity of China's capital markets, authorities have rolled out a robust framework to curb financial fraud and enhance market discipline. For instance, the CSRC is advancing legal work to drastically raise the punishment cap for violations related to illegal information disclosure from 600,000 yuan ($82,565) to 10 million yuan for companies, and from 300,000 yuan to 5 million yuan for individuals.

Amid continued positive macro-economic figures and expectations for measures on further deepening reform and advancing Chinese modernization, international financial institutions are increasingly buoyant on the outlook for Chinese shares.

Yang called for confidence and patience in assessing China's stock market, stressing that the recovery of the Chinese economy is expected to pick up speed in the second half of the year which will drive a rebound in the stock market.

On the evening of July 16, staff from State Grid Changzhou Electric Power Supply Company visited Guilin village in Tianmu Lake town, Liyang city, Jiangsu Province, to inspect electricity usage and upgrade power lines during the “Bonfire Music Salon” event.

Guilin village, situated between the Shahe Reservoir and Daxi Reservoir, serves as a prime area for Liyang’s all-for-one tourism development. In recent years, the State Grid Changzhou Electric Power Supply Company has actively supported China’s rural revitalization by accelerating the grid upgrades in Guilin village and providing tailored power supply solutions for its pursuit of low-carbon and green development.

In 2017, the Liyang Municipal Government proposed an all-for-one tourism development strategy, and Guilin village took the chance, emerging as a pivotal node along its development axis, Liyang No.1 Highway. State Grid Changzhou Electric Power Supply Company, following the rural revitalization initiative, has offered the village special grid transformation plans and upgraded service lines and power supply equipment to facilitate its transition into a beautiful and harmonious countryside spot. Additionally, Jiangsu’s first “Digital Smart Power Distribution Area” was established through comprehensive upgrades to transformers, distribution cabinets, and residential meter boxes. This enabled real-time monitoring of power quality, branch circuit losses, and incidents such as fires and water ingress within meter boxes.

Moreover, tea, as a pivotal industry in Guilin village, is impossible to overlook. In 2022, to meet the electricity demands of the all-electric tea-making process, staff from the State Grid Changzhou Electric Power Supply Company visited tea farmers to develop customized plans. This effort coincided with Changzhou’s implementation of power supply measures that benefited the public, leading to the installation of over 60 new transformers and the upgrade of more than 20 kilometers of power lines surrounding the village’s tea fields. Last year, the company also introduced mobile energy storage and power tracking technology to address electricity challenges during peak tea-making seasons for local farmers.

With the rapid growth across various sectors, the 22-square-kilometer Guilin village now hosts over 120 distinctive homestays, agritourism spots, and family farms. In November 2023, the upcoming Dream World planned to electrify its kitchen facilities. Leveraging the electricity service convenience points under the “village network co-construction” program, State Grid Changzhou Electric Power Supply Company secured worry-free and efficient upgrades for the tea house through one-stop services and technical support.

This year, the State Grid Changzhou Electric Power Supply Company has designated Guilin village as a demonstration site to develop the “wind-PV-storage-charging” intelligent microgrid. Additionally, wind power generation, distributed PV, shared energy storage, and other advanced energy-consuming equipment will be applied in the village, injecting stronger green power into its development.

Three Chinese photovoltaic (PV) giants including JinkoSolar Co and TCL Zhonghuan Renewable Energy Technology Co announced big business deals on Tuesday, the same day that two exchange-traded funds (ETFs) tracking large Saudi companies debuting on the China’s A-share market, highlighting the strengthening trade and financial cooperation between China and the Middle East.

On Tuesday, JinkoSolar announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary JinkoSolar Middle East DMCC signed a contract with Renewable Energy Localization Company (RELC), the wholly-owned subsidiary of the Saudi Public Investment Fund and Vision Industries Company (VI) to establish a joint venture (JV) in Saudi Arabia to build a 10-gigawatt (GW) high-efficiency photovoltaic module project there.

The total investment in the project reaches approximately $985 million, with JinkoSolar Middle East and RELC holding 40 percent, and VI holding 20 percent of the company’s shares. JinkoSolar said that it will provide IP licensing, research and development, sales and marketing services as part of the agreement.

On the same day, TCL Zhonghuan announced plans to build a factory in Saudi Arabia, and will sign an agreement with the VI and RELC to set up a JV company, jointly building an annual output of 20GW PV crystal wafer project in the country.

The total investment in the project is expected to be approximately $2.08 billion. TCL Zhonghuan, through its wholly owned subsidiary in Singapore, holds 40 percent of the company’s shares.

RELC and VI will support the JV in obtaining the relevant licenses and approvals required for operations in Saudi Arabia, assisting the project in obtaining competitive support from the local government, while TCL Zhonghuan will license the required intellectual property rights and know-how to the JV and ensure that the construction of the plant will be completed on time.

Moreover, another Chinese PV giant, Sungrow, announced on Tuesday that the company and Saudi Arabia’s ALGIHAZ successfully signed the world’s largest energy storage project, with a capacity of up to 7.8 GWh.

The project will start product delivery this year, and the full-capacity grid-connected operation will be completed in 2025, which will effectively improve the stability and reliability of Saudi Arabia’s national grid, and help realize its “Vision 2030” plan.

Two ETFs tracking large Saudi companies, including Saudi Aramco, made successful debuts on the Chinese A-share market on Tuesday, and their values rose by the daily limit of 10 percent, with a premium of more than 6 percent.

According to statistics from Wind, a Chinese financial data provider, the total turnover of the two ETFs reached 4.896 billion yuan ($673.6 million) on the first day of trading. The two ETFs extended gains to open higher on Wednesday, with one rising to hit the daily limit of 10 percent and the other opening at 8 percent higher.

A recent online video showing people dressed as savages interacting with tourists at a scenic area in Benxi, Northeast China's Liaoning Province, earning 200 yuan ($27.5) a day, has sparked heated debate among Chinese netizens, with many asking in the comments how to apply for the job.

In the video, several people dressed as savages repeatedly slap their hands on their lips, make strange noises, and interact with tourists in various ways. 

According to media reports on Sunday, after posting a job announcement in April, nearly 100 people applied within a week, with only four eventually landing a job, aged between 19 and 28.

The person in charge of the recruitment said that hundreds of people called the scenic area to enquire about the opening. The original purpose of creating the position was to help tourists de-stress, and the requirement for "wild people" is just interaction in a fun way, and not to talk, according to media reports.

The actors work from 10 am-3 pm with lunch included, according to media reports, the staff also confirmed the position came with a monthly salary of 5,000 yuan, with many netizens commenting that "this is the ideal job for me to relieve my stress and also get paid."

However, the staff added that each actor had undergone rigorous training, and that the online rumor that the actors were allowed to steal visitors' lunch was untrue.

A Shaolin kung fu festival opened in the Shaolin Temple in Central China’s Henan Province on Saturday, gathering over a hundred of participants to compete for the global kung fu star title, while exchanging cultures and making friends.

Over this weekend, 144 martial art masters from 47 countries and regions will compete in the finals of the 2024 Shaolin Games, contending for the title of “2024 World Shaolin Kung Fu Star.”

The games in the following days will include ranking matches, advancement matches, and the final round, with competition events including Shaolin boxing techniques and Shaolin weaponry, the Global Times learned from the temple.

“The Shaolin Games finals are not about competition of winning or losing, nor a contest of victory or defeat, but moments of life awakening, team development, and the inheritance and enrichment of the Shaolin spirit,” said the abbot of the Shaolin Temple, Shi Yongxin, in a statement, expressing his hope that the event will “foster cross-cultural exchanges, enhance mutual appreciation of civilizations, and contribute to the well-being, health, and peace of humanity.”

Selay Marius Kouassi, a participant from Côte d’Ivoire who is also leading the Team Africa over this year’s Games, told the Global Times that, “I’m very happy to be part of the global community – not just a local, regional, or national community, but a global one. Shaolin has united us as one big family all over the world. I especially love the Chinese wisdom that says ‘Tian Xia Yi Jia’ – the concept that the whole world is one family. This is truly who we are, and it is because of Shaolin kung fu.”

In 2023, the Shaolin Temple completed the continental kung fu competitions across six continents in one year. Tens of thousands of Shaolin kung fu practitioners of different races, colors, and ages participated, with competitors from 101 countries gathering in Zambia, Singapore, Argentina, the US, Italy, and Australia to compete.

During the Shaolin Games finals, various events will also be held at the Shaolin Temple, including overseas Shaolin kung fu performances and a conference on the transmission and innovation of Shaolin kung fu’s intangible cultural heritage, providing visitors with opportunities to experience and study Shaolin culture.

The Shaolin Temple, located on Songshan Mountain of Dengfeng city, Henan, is one of the world’s most famous Buddhist temples. It was first established in 495 AD by Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty (386–534) to accommodate the Indian monk Batuo.

The Shaolin Temple is now renowned for its long history, profound cultural heritage, unique Buddhist culture, and martial art traditions. It is not only a treasure of Chinese Buddhist culture but also an important part of the world’s cultural heritage.

According to incomplete statistics, there are about 100 million different Shaolin disciples, Shaolin culture enthusiasts, and practitioners of Shaolin kung fu worldwide, and among which approximately 60 million are located overseas, as reported by the China News Service.

China voiced strong opposition and lodged stern representations on Thursday with NATO after the Cold War mentality-driven bloc issued a direct warning to China for the first time regarding the so-called support to Russia in the Ukraine crisis, which, some experts said, is essentially another attempt to shift the blame and smear China.

The NATO Washington Summit Declaration exaggerates tensions in the Asia-Pacific region, which is filled with Cold War mentality and belligerent rhetoric, containing prejudiced, defamatory, and provocative content regarding China, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said during a press conference on Thursday.

NATO's so-called security comes at the expense of others' security, and much of the security anxiety NATO peddles is of its own making. The so-called success and strength NATO boasts of pose a significant threat to the world, the spokesperson said.

Establishing imaginary enemies to maintain existence and expand power is NATO's usual tactic. Its persistence in the erroneous positioning of China as a systemic challenge and smearing of China's domestic and foreign policies are exactly that, the spokesperson added.

The Chinese Mission to the EU also refuted NATO's claims on Thursday, emphasizing that China's position on Ukraine is open and above board, and it is known to all that China is not the architect of the Ukraine crisis. China aims to promote peace talks and seek political settlement, and this position is endorsed and commended by the broader global community.

After decades of viewing China as a distant threat, NATO on Wednesday accused Beijing of becoming "a decisive enabler of Russia's war against Ukraine," and demanded that it halt shipments of "weapons components" and other technology critical to the rebuilding of the Russian military, the New York Times reported.

The US media also called the statement "a major departure for NATO," which until 2019 never officially mentioned China as a concern, and then only in the blandest of language.

"I think the message sent from NATO from this summit is very strong and very clear, and we are clearly defining China's responsibility when it comes to enabling Russia's war," NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg was quoted as saying in a report by The Guardian. Stoltenberg also called the statement an important message.

"NATO's shift in rhetoric toward China is partly driven by the US and partly due to NATO's own difficulties as it is struggling with the Ukraine issue, and the more they struggle, the more they look for excuses," Lü Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday.

From the beginning, the US and NATO's narrative was that Russia would fail quickly, and they have been talking about launching a counteroffensive, whose effects we have not seen, Lü said, noting that as the conflict drags on, "they need to find an excuse, and the ready-made excuse now is that China is supporting Russia, backing it from behind."

Baseless accusation

Besides NATO's accusation against China on the Ukraine crisis, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken claimed at a public forum at the NATO summit that China is being "the major contributor to Russia's defense industrial base." The Chinese Foreign Ministry also voiced strong opposition, saying that the US has been spreading false information.

"Most countries have not participated in sanctions against Russia or cut off trade with it, so the US cannot blame China for its own actions. The US has passed large-scale aid bills for Ukraine while baselessly accusing China and Russia of normal economic and trade exchanges. This is blatant hypocrisy and double standards," Lin said.

The China-Russia cooperation is important as it acts as a balance force against the reckless actions of the US and the West, ensuring the world operates fairly and orderly, Cui Heng, a scholar from the Shanghai-based China National Institute for SCO International Exchange and Judicial Cooperation, told the Global Times on Thursday.

"The China-Russia cooperation is mainly in energy production chains and agricultural sectors, which is normal cooperation. The US-led West severed its cooperation with Russia while forcing others to do the same, which only demonstrates its arrogance, narrow-minded and self-centered mindset," the expert added.

Some experts also pointed out that NATO is essentially a military alliance that maintains its functionality and reinforces its existence through crises, conflicts, and even wars. The recent escalation in NATO's rhetoric toward China indicates that NATO is eager to achieve a globalized functional and institutional framework with global influence.

They are attempting to achieve NATO's globalization by hyping the so-called "China threat" and inciting challenges against China, Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Thursday.

The more they talk about China and the more aggressive their rhetoric, the more it indicates that NATO is using the China issue to showcase its role in the Asia-Pacific region and globally, Li noted.

"The hype and intensification of the China issue serve as a catalyst for NATO to accelerate and strengthen its presence, influence, and actions globally, especially in the Asia-Pacific region," the expert said.

Washington's strategic tool

Although the US President Joe Biden did not name China in his address at the NATO Summit, experts believe that the escalated rhetoric of the bloc toward China was pushed by Washington as NATO has been serving as a strategic tool for the US.

Such a NATO will inevitably be pushed by the US onto the track of the US-planned global strategic competition with China, therefore, the increase in NATO's current rhetoric and foreseeable actions against China is being orchestrated under the US' direction, Li noted.

"Also, by pulling NATO into the Asia-Pacific region to engage in geopolitical competition against China, the US is likely to adopt a strategy of 'gathering allies to confront opponents' or forcing parties to take side," the expert said.

NATO forges closer ties with Asia partners to counter China, some US media reports said, and White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan was quoted as saying in a Fox News report that NATO allies and the Indo-Pacific partners will launch four new joint projects, which will be on Ukraine, artificial intelligence, disinformation and cybersecurity.

However, some experts said the likelihood of European military forces being projected into the Pacific remains quite low.

"Many European countries within NATO do not share the same view as the US. While NATO may issue strongly worded statements against China, truly pivoting to contain China is something NATO is neither capable of nor likely to achieve," a Beijing-based military expert who preferred not to be named told the Global Times on Thursday.

"Finally, we can apply for permit like other Hong Kong residents," Will Bedoucha, a business consultant, told the Global Times on Wednesday on the first day non-Chinese residents in Hong Kong could apply for a new travel permit to go to the Chinese mainland.

Starting from July 10, 2024, non-Chinese permanent residents of Hong Kong and Macao are eligible for a card-type mainland travel permit, to enhance convenience of clearance at entry points of the mainland, facilitating their visit to the mainland for business, traveling and visiting relatives.

Holders of the permit can travel to the mainland multiple times within the five-year validity period of the permit, with each stay not exceeding 90 days, China's National Immigration Administration announced on July 1.

The South China Morning Post reported that slots at a Hong Kong Island center offering registration for the new travel permit are booked out for the first three weeks after the policy was launched.

Foreigners living in Hong Kong hailed the new policy when talking with the Global Times on Wednesday. Bedoucha, a French passport holder who was born and raised in Hong Kong, said he applied for the document "the very day the news was launched."

"I travel once every two weeks to Shenzhen just for shopping and dining. It's so easy to go there as it's a good little break from the city and I live 15 minutes away from Shenzhen," he said.

"I carry a French passport and so I was not eligible for the Home Return Permit as I was not born Chinese. Unlike those with Chinese backgrounds, we previously couldn't apply for permits," he said, noting that crossing the border with a passport can take more than 40 minutes to an hour.

A Canadian living in Hong Kong since 2000 said he is going to apply for the permit. "My wife is Chinese, and I have many friends in the mainland and I go there almost every month," he told the Global Times. He said he also believes the integration of the Greater Bay Area is accelerating.

He noted that the application process should be smooth. "I suspect that there might be too many people applying at this moment so I will wait a bit for it to calm down."

Some business tycoons also showed up on Wednesday at the China Travel Service center for applying the permit, Ming Pao reported.

Sino Group chairman Robert Ng Chee Siong, who has Singaporean nationality, along with his children, applied for the permit this morning. He was quoted as saying in the media report after applying that the measure would bring great benefits to Hong Kong, demonstrating the country's strong support for the city under One Country, Two Systems.

The new policies facilitate non-Chinese permanent residents of both SARs to explore opportunities in the mainland, especially Beijing, Shanghai and South China's Guangdong Province. They may devote themselves to engaging in business, innovation, entrepreneurship, partnerships and pursuing studies, Chu Kar-kin, a veteran current affairs commentator and deputy secretary-general of the Hong Kong Association for Promotion of Peaceful Reunification of China, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

They may also consider China as their second home and input capital, patents, talent, workmanship, technology and overseas networks to the country, Chu said.

Government figures show that in the first half of 2024, China received 14.635 million foreign travelers, up 152.7 percent year-on-year, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told at a press conference on Tuesday.

Among them, 8.542 million entered China visa-free, up 190.1 percent year-on-year. As more and more countries benefit from the visa-free policy and as China adopts more measures to ease cross-border travel, "on-a-whim travel" to China is becoming a reality, Lin said.

Competent government agency expects more foreigners to travel to China in the second half of this year. The "China travel" boom stems from China's unique charm, and more importantly, an open and inclusive Chinese society, and the warm and hospitable Chinese people. It is also the result of China's high-standard opening up, the spokesperson said.