With this year's Mid-Autumn Festival drawing near, China's tourism market is gearing up for another surge in travel and consumption activity, building on the strong momentum from a just-concluded bustling summer travel season, industry insiders and experts said over the weekend.

They predicted that this year's Mid-Autumn Festival holidays, which runs from September 15 to 17, will see sustained high demand for short-distance travel. Combined with the upcoming National Day holidays (running from October 1 to 7）, this is expected to inject continued vitality into consumption, contributing to the country's economic growth in the latter part of the year.

Data from China's online travel services platform Fliggy showed a double-digit increase in bookings for hotels, domestic car rentals and tickets for this popular traditional festival compared with 2019. The overall booking volume for the Mid-Autumn Festival holidays is significantly higher compared with the Dragon Boat Festival in June, despite both having a three-day duration.

Several travel platforms in China have reported that the Mid-Autumn Festival travel trend is dominated by short to mid-distance trips, with "micro-vacations" to nearby cities and provinces being especially popular. Destinations within a two-hour drive or three-hour high-speed rail journey are particularly busy.

According to Tuniu, an online travel platform, nearly 40 percent of travelers are planning short trips to local or adjacent areas during the upcoming festival, with about 30 percent opting to start their journeys one day or two before the festival.

Experts attribute the strong travel demand to favorable weather, off-peak prices and the traditional cultural significance of family reunions during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

"Emerging travel trends, including cultural tours, urban leisure trips and sports tourism, not only reflect an expansion in the Chinese consumption preferences but also promise to inject sustained vitality into the domestic economy," Jiang Yiyi, vice dean of the School of Leisure Sports and Tourism at Beijing Sport University, told the Global Times on Saturday.

Tongcheng, another online travel services provider, reported a 77 percent increase in searches for ancient towns and gardens over the past week.

China's recent summer travel season had broken records for passenger volumes and witnessed strong growth in bookings and spending. Jiang expects this momentum to carry into October, potentially boosting sectors like transportation, hospitality and cultural products.

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Western Theater Command on Friday refuted recent online rumors regarding conflicts at the China-India border and soldier casualties, urging an end to the spread of military-related speculations.

The refutation was made in response to rumors circulating on Chinese social media platforms recently regarding fabricated videos and images suggesting that there had been a conflict at the China-India border, during which six PLA soldiers sacrificed their lives.

The internet is not a lawless zone, and it is essential to put an end to the production and spreading of military-related rumors, the PLA Western Theater Command said on its official WeChat account.

Many netizens expressed their support for the refutation, urging all internet users not to believe or spread rumors, and emphasizing the need to appropriately punish those who create false information for ulterior motives.

According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, China and India held the 31st Meeting of Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on China-India Border Affairs in Beijing on August 29. The two sides agreed to work together to turn the page on the border situation at an early date in accordance with the guiding principles of the important common understandings reached between the two foreign ministers.

History has consistently shown that the optimization and innovation of trade routes is vital for promoting regional economic development. Collaboration between China and Russia on the Northern Sea Route is just such an innovative endeavor. As it is the shortest maritime passage linking northeast Asia and western Europe, the development and utilization of the Northern Sea Route hold significant implications for trade between China and Russia, as well as between East Asian economies and Europe.

A joint report by the Institute of China and Contemporary Asia of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Russia's National Coordinating Center for International Business Cooperation recently said that Chinese companies are actively exploring the Northern Sea Route, Russian media outlet Sputnik said on its Chinese website on Wednesday.

The strong interest of Chinese shipping companies in the Northern Sea Route reflects their pursuit of new business opportunities and also bodes well for the potential for China-Russia cooperation in Arctic shipping. 

Although some in the West tend to misinterpret normal cooperation between China and Russia on Arctic issues, their collaboration on the Northern Sea Route is based on mutual interests and the development needs of the regional economy.

As one of the key Arctic shipping routes, the Northern Sea Route is known as the shortest sea route linking Europe to Asia, offering multiple advantages such as reduced sailing times and lower sailing costs. The Korea Maritime Institute once predicted that Arctic shipping routes have the potential to emerge as important commercial alternatives to the traditional Asia-Europe route through the Suez Canal.  

As the appeal of Arctic shipping grows, there is an increasing amount of international research and policy planning focused on Arctic development and route construction. For instance, in 2022, Russia approved a 13-year development plan for its Northern Sea Route, which includes the construction of more than 50 icebreakers and ice-class ships, the establishment of ports, terminals and emergency rescue centers, and the deployment of an orbital satellite constellation. It is estimated that about 2 trillion rubles ($22.38 billion) will need to be invested, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

This extensive plan reflects Russia's determination to develop the Northern Sea Route and the priority it attaches to this effort. To achieve its ambitious goals, Russia needs a stable and reliable long-term partner, as well as adequate technical and financial support. 

From China's perspective, the Arctic shipping route holds significant implications for the development of its future trade network. Maritime transport constitutes about 95 percent of China's international trade. If the Northern Sea Route emerges as a viable commercial option, it will undoubtedly enhance convenience and cost-effectiveness for trade between China and Russia, as well as between China and Europe. Furthermore, this new shipping route has the potential to stimulate development in Northeast China, fostering revitalization and positioning the region as a new frontier of openness.

While the Northern Sea Route may offer many advantages, it also presents significant challenges. First of all, the unpredictability of navigation times each year restricts its utilization. Second, support services for navigation are inadequate, with notable deficiencies in rescue, anti-pollution, medical and cargo handling facilities along the route. That means the Arctic shipping route still has a long way to go from its current status to truly becoming a commercial option, and it requires more international cooperation.

All in all, promoting and strengthening bilateral and multilateral cooperation efforts related to Arctic routes will not only benefit China and Russia, but also serve the interests of regional economies and contribute to the global economic recovery.

At 11:23 am on Thursday, a round of applause erupted in Air China's first C919 cabin, when the home-made plane, with the registration number of B-919X, landed smoothly at the Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing.

Welcomed with a water cannon salute at the airport, Air China's first C919 aircraft officially joined the fleet.

About one hour earlier, another C919 received by China Southern Airlines landed at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, also becoming the first of its kind received by China Southern.

It is the second day after the single-aisle C919 were delivered to the two major Chinese air carriers by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) in Shanghai. The aircraft have now returned to their bases, preparing for future service.

The C919 is an excellent aircraft, achieving a very high standard in design, performance, as well as in terms of control feeling and human-computer interaction, Wang Yan, the captain of Air China B-919X, told the Global Times on Thursday.

"I am proud of the Air China C919 aircraft, and I am proud to be a C919 pilot," Wang said.

Wang has long flown Boeing 777 and Airbus 321 aircraft. In July, Wang completed the C919 modification training and obtained a new pilot license.

"We will ensure that domestically-produced large aircraft fly smoothly in the blue sky, prioritizing safety and efficiency," Wang said.

The most striking feature of Air China's C919 is its spaciousness, including the wide aisle, an open cabin layout, and generous seat spacing.

Air China's C919 aircraft has a total of 158 seats, including eight business class seats with a pitch of 40 inches, 150 economy class seats with a pitch of 30-31 inches, and a 45-inch pitch at the safety exit.

Compared with other airlines, which have 164 seats, Air China has one fewer row of economy class seats, so the distance between each row of seats is increased by two inches. The seat spacing is better than that of similar foreign planes.

While seated in an economy class seat, the GT reporter opened the tray table and placed a laptop on it without feeling cramped, while the leg space was comfortable. When the passenger in the middle seat leaves the seat, another passenger does not need to stand up, but can easily make room by turning slightly sideways.

Even if the flight attendants push the dining cart down the central aisle, there is relatively ample space in the aisle on both sides, the reporter noticed.
To ensure safety, Air China set up a flying team for C919, and the first group of ten C919 pilots completed the transition training on July 29 and passed the test organized by the Civil Aviation Administration of China, all with excellent results, receiving their C919 pilot licenses.

Information shared by China Southern showed that the carrier selected three experienced captains, with a total flight time exceeding 35,000 hours.

China Southern said it will launch a route from Guangzhou to Shanghai on September 19. The carrier said it has been deepening cooperation with COMAC in maintenance capability development, parts manufacturing, and aircraft monitoring system to ensure the safe and efficient operation of the C919.

The carrier independently develops an aircraft health management system, the only one in the world compatible with Boeing, Airbus, and the home-made aircraft. It can provide real-time status monitoring, fault diagnosis, and predictive maintenance, and data-driven decision support to improve aircraft safety, reliability and maintenance efficiency.

China Southern announced that it plans to implement the system across all C919 fleet after successful testing.

Currently, a total of nine C919 planes have been delivered to airlines by COMAC. Among them, the C919 aircraft of China Eastern Airlines, the first global user, has been operating smoothly for 15 consecutive months since its first commercial flight, flying five routes, and has completed more than 3,600 commercial flights and 10,000 flight hours.

On August 16, State Grid Bortala Power Supply Company organized personnel to carry out independent inspection of drones on the 10-kilovolt line. Distribution line inspection is the focus of power supply guarantee work. Drones have become an important tool for distribution network line inspection. 

Compared with the previous manual operation of drone inspection methods, drones equipped with adaptive inspection technology do not require staff to remotely command. With one-click operation, a series of tasks such as identifying poles and towers, infrared temperature measurement, and taking pictures can be completed independently.

In order to effectively improve the application effect of independent drone inspection and effectively support the construction and application of a new power system and the construction of core business teams, the company planned in advance and established a joint research special group for adaptive inspection of distribution network drones with Information Industry Group Co., Ltd. and Zhongke Fangcun Zhiwei (Nanjing) Technology Co., Ltd. 

Through top-down linkage, main production coordination, "training + practical operation," and "outsourcing + independence" methods comprehensively promote full coverage of independent inspection of distribution network drones.

"After adopting adaptive technology, a drone with a team of two people can complete a 10-kilometer inspection task in one day, which is equivalent to the workload of our previous week of walking inspection. This greatly improves the work efficiency at the grassroots level," said Li Jingtao, an employee of the company.

As of now, State Grid Bortala Power Supply Company has used drones for independent inspection of 110 10-kilovolt lines, 36,700 poles and towers, a total of 1,815.93 kilometers, and discovered and dealt with 10,300 various defects. 

In the next step, the company will explore and deepen the application of drone adaptive technology, strengthen cooperation and exchanges in related fields, draw on advanced experience, better achieve lean operation and maintenance of the distribution network, serve and ensure that the operation safety of grassroots personnel is controllable,work is cost-reduced and efficiency-increased, and fully guarantee the safe and stable operation of the power grid.

China facilitated 110 million cross-border passenger trips in July and August, which marks a year-on-year increase of 30.0% and a 13.0% increase from the May-June period, said the National Immigration Administration on Tuesday.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday started holding bilateral events with foreign leaders who will attend the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), scheduled for Sept. 4 to 6 in Beijing.

At 10 a.m., Xi met with Felix Tshisekedi, president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, at the Great Hall of the People.

During the FOCAC summit, Xi will attend the opening ceremony and deliver a keynote speech on Sept. 5. He will also host a welcome banquet for the leaders and representatives attending the summit.

Following the 2006 Beijing summit, the 2015 Johannesburg summit and the 2018 Beijing summit, the upcoming summit is another event gathering members of the friendly family of China and Africa. It is also the largest diplomatic event hosted by China in recent years, with the highest attendance of foreign leaders.

Chinese divers Chen Yuxi and Quan Hongchan won the women's synchronized 10m platform final at the Paris Olympics with an overwhelming lead on Wednesday. This victory marks the seventh gold for the Chinese sports delegation at the Games.

It is the third gold medal for the Chinese diving team in this Olympics, following the wins in the women's synchronized 3m springboard and the men's synchronized 10m platform.

In the first two rounds, the Chinese pair led their competitors by over 13 points with high-caliber dives. Starting from the third round, they executed more difficult dives, quickly widening their lead with stable and high-level performances. By the start of the final round, the Chinese team had secured the gold medal with a massive 43.20 point lead over the second-placed team.

At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Chen and her former dive partner Zhang Jiaqi won the gold medal in the women's synchronized 10m platform event for China.

In early 2022, Quan began competing in synchronized events with Chen, and the pair has gone on to win gold medals in the women's synchronized 10m platform at major events including the World Championships, the World Cup and the Asian Games.

Quan made her debut at the synchronized event after winning the individual 10m platform gold at the Tokyo Olympics.

"My goal is definitely to stand on the highest podium and show my best performance. It feels like I'm always far from the best," Quan said in a previous interview.

German table tennis legend Timo Boll took his final bow on the international stage at the Paris Olympic Games on Tuesday evening.

In the men's team table tennis competition, Germany faced Sweden for a spot in the semifinals. Boll, 43, competing in both doubles and singles, lost both matches, leading to Germany's elimination while marking the end of Boll's seventh Olympic journey.

After the match, the audience gave a standing ovation, with a tribute video for Boll playing on the large screen. The applause was endless, and coaches and teammates from the German team, along with Sweden's head coach Jorgen Persson, came over to hug Boll. Boll, with red eyes and nose, wiped his face with a towel and tossed two jerseys into the stands as a thank you to the crowd.

"It's been tough, both during and after the match," Boll said after the match, as reported by the Xinhua News Agency. "Losing makes you feel disappointed, but the overwhelming support from the audience leaves you feeling also bewildered." 

Speaking of his "last dance," Boll also mentioned the Chinese team, admitting, "I couldn't expect to leave the Olympic stage with a victory, given that China is the strongest in table tennis."

It's worth noting that Boll has always formed an unbreakable bond with China. On June 2, 2024, Boll wrote on Sina Weibo, China's X-like platform: "Throughout my career, I have thoroughly enjoyed every match I've played in China. I have learned a lot from table tennis, and even more from you and your culture. Thank you very much for your support over the years. China will always be my second home."

On August 3, Boll posted a photo on Weibo of himself and Chinese player Ma Long in Paris, captioning it with the word "Legend."

Boll's deep connection with the Chinese team began with his competition against Kong Linghui and continued through several generations of Chinese table tennis masters. During his career he has competed against and defeated many key Chinese players, from Liu Guoliang to Ma Long to more recently - Wang Chuqin and Lin Shidong.

The day after Boll bade farewell to the international stage, the Chinese men's team defeated South Korea to advance to the semifinals. In the mixed interview zone after the match, Ma Long and Fan Zhendong expressed their respect for Boll.

"Boll is someone all table tennis players deeply respect, not just for his skill but also for his character," Ma said. Recalling their partnership in doubles named "Marco Polo" at both the 2015 and 2017 World Championships, Ma said that the chance to pair with him left both of them with beautiful memories, adding that Boll feels like an old friend, warm and approachable.

Fan also revealed that he and Boll have had many fun exchanges off the court, including shared hobbies. Last November, while participating in a table tennis competition in Frankfurt, Germany, Fan was invited by Boll to watch Der Klassiker, the soccer match between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, two renowned Germany football teams. Boll drove three hours to take Fan from Frankfurt to Dortmund and shared German rice cakes made by his mother with Fan along the way.

"He has had a perfect career, both in terms of length and height, which is rare," Fan said, "He overcame many difficulties and his strict discipline led him to many achievements. I wish him all the best in his future endeavors."

Reflecting on his career, which included seven Olympics, four Olympic medals, and a world No. 1 ranking, Boll said: "I might have been in the top five, top 10 for 25 years, which is my greatest achievement, enough to withstand anything." 

"But ultimately, I realize my body moved too slow, and maintaining the highest competitive level became increasingly difficult," Boll said.

Since the start of this year's flood season, China's major rivers have experienced 25 significant flood events, the highest number recorded since data collection began in 1998. The period has been marked by frequent extreme weather events, with heavy rainfall and severe floods occurring across both northern and southern regions, officials with the Ministry of Water Resources said at a press conference on Monday detailing the grave challenges that China is facing.

Despite the end of the most critical period, Wang Bao'en, Vice Minister of Water Resources, warned that China remains in its primary flood season, with significant challenges ahead. 

Wang detailed that this year's flood season has been marked by higher-than-usual cumulative rainfall influenced by Typhoon Gaemi. The country saw a cumulative average rainfall of 183 millimeters, 10 percent higher than the annual average. Typhoon Gaemi dumped a total of 216.7 billion cubic meters of rainfall across the southern regions of the country, which is a significant 43 percent more than the 151.8 billion cubic meters brought by Typhoon Doksuri last year.

Large-scale flooding occurred more frequently than annual average, with some 30 rivers across the country exceeding historical flood levels. Major floods were recorded 13 times in river basins including tributaries of the Yangtze River, Yellow River, Huaihe River, and Pearl River.

Overall, rivers exceeding warning levels were up 120 percent over the same period in previous years, with some exceeding flood control guarantee levels by nearly 60 percent, Wang told media.

This year's flood season has seen an increase in the frequency of disasters, including the breaching of embankments in Yueyang, Central China's Hunan Province, the collapse of highway bridge in Shangluo, Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, and multiple flash floods and mudslides in various localities. These events highlighted the extreme complexity and severity of the flood control situation, Wang said. 

Currently, the Wusuli River located in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province bordering Russia is having severe flooding, and risk of secondary disasters from heavy rainfall persists, and the potential for additional typhoon impacts could further complicate the flood control situation, according to the minister.