As China announced the extension of its visa-free policy for 12 countries until the end of 2025, analysts noted that the measures will significantly boost inbound tourism, which also demonstrate China's commitment to fostering people-to-people exchanges and determination to opening up.

At a joint meeting with the press with French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that China has decided to extend the short-stay visa exemption policy for citizens of 12 countries including France to the end of 2025.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said during a regular press conference on Tuesday that by December 31, 2025, citizens from the 12 countries will be able to visit China for business, sight-seeing, transit and other purposes for up to 15 days without having to apply for a visa.

The 12 countries are France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Malaysia, Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium and Luxembourg. 

China's efforts to facilitate foreigners visiting the country has delivered positive initial results. According to the National Immigration Administration, trips by foreign nationals reached 13.1 million in the first quarter, a year-on-year increase of 305.2 percent. Among them, the number of visa-free foreigners entering China reached 1.98 million, up 266.1 percent compared to last year.

"The extension of the short-term visa-free policy until the end of 2025 will undoubtedly further boost confidence and enthusiasm for traveling to China, and will contribute to the growth of inbound tourism as well as aid in the prosperity of the industry," Dai Bin, President of the China Tourism Academy, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

The move also showcases China's unwavering commitment to openness and its strong belief in the potential of tourism development, Dai said, noting that the extension exemplifies the resilience and determination of China in embracing the world with open arms.

"We have witnessed a surge in travel bookings - about 40 percent - to China since the visa-free policy for French citizens was effective. With the extension of the visa-free policy, it is expected that more bookings will come," a manager surnamed Fang at a Paris-based travel agency, told the Global Times on Tuesday. Fang said that most bookings to China came from elderly people, but the extended visa policy would appeal to more young people to visit China.

"Meanwhile, as the Olympic Games approaches, bookings from Chinese tourists have also increased, especially travel products for small groups. We have launched products such as a two-day tour in Provence departing from Paris," said Fang.

In addition to extending the visa-free period, China is actively promoting the opening and resumption of international routes to facilitate the increased movement of people. According to media reports, direct flights between Shanghai and Marseille will officially open on July 2, providing the first direct air passage for the two sister cities.

Bahrain will also open direct flights to China starting from May 28, and direct flights between China and Mexico will resume on May 11. 

Dai noted that the expansion of air routes and transportation capacity not only enhances convenience for travelers but also lowers travel costs, thereby fostering the growth of inbound tourism. "More travel agencies are expected to intensify their efforts in promoting overseas tourism," he said.

China's increase in direct flights sends a clear message that we are willing to take all effective measures to facilitate international exchanges and also demonstrates the country's determination to welcome visitors from across the world, Dai said.

By implementing more open policies in areas such as visas, air routes, and payment convenience, China's efforts in inbound tourism will not only boost consumption and drive economic growth, but also foster cultural exchanges and interactions among people, helping to establish China's image as a confident, open and inclusive major country, analysts said. 

At the same time, with the increasing number of tourists visiting China, the foreign nationals will have the opportunity to develop a more thorough, comprehensive, and authentic understanding of the country, they said.

Looking ahead, with the upcoming China-US high-level dialogue on tourism, as well as the implementation of various activities under the Kazakhstan tourism year in China and the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism, it is anticipated that inbound and outbound tourism will rebound to the level of 2019 by the end of 2024 or early 2025, Dai noted.

The latest research findings in a document detailing the personal information of Japanese Army Unit 731 members and their involvement in Japan's infamous germ warfare during the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) have been made public for the first time recently. The document is seen as a great source of academic value and practical significance in deepening research on Japan's bacteriological warfare program during the war.

According to the Exhibition Hall of Evidences of Crime Committed by Unit 731 of the Japanese Imperial Army, the 69-page document clearly recorded these soldiers' involvement in the criminal activities since their joining in the Unit 731, and provides record of personnel allocation and dispatch between Japan's infamous biological and chemical warfare, Central China Television (CCTV) reported Sunday. The exhibition hall is located in Harbin, Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.

The archival material, entitled the "personal information declaration form of Unit 731 headquarters," was previously stored at the National Archives of Japan and was brought by researchers in 2023 to the Exhibition Hall of Evidences of Crime Committed by Unit 731 of the Japanese Imperial Army for translation and study. 

The academic circles have long believed that after the then Japanese government announced its unconditional surrender on August 15, 1945, Unit 731 was withdrawn, in its entirety, back to Japan. However, the latest findings in the newly released document show that when the main force withdrew, 52 people did not return to Japan along with the unit. 

According to Jin Shicheng, a researcher with the exhibition hall, when Unit 731 received the evacuation order, some of the unit members might have been in other parts of China or on official duties elsewhere, instead of at their headquarters in Harbin, thus, they were unable to return to Japan with the headquarters. 

After all Japanese overseas troops returned to Japan, soldiers had to fill in the personal information declaration forms to have their military status recognized and their pensions claimed. 

According to the released personal information declaration form, 14 of the 52 members who failed to withdraw with the headquarters were arrested and detained within territory belonging to the Soviet Union, 38 members concealed their identities and hid away in various parts across China. After the end of World War II, they returned to Japan as individuals and filled out the personal information declaration forms. 

The 69-page document contains complete records of the 52 soldiers' information, including their names, arms of services, dates of enlistment, their affiliation to the unit before the end of the war, and their military history at the end of the war. 

This document clearly recorded the involvement of the registrants in a series of criminal activities from their joining in the Unit 731, as well as their movements between different units. It also recorded their activities and trajectories between August of 1945 and their returns to Japan. 

From their trajectories, the researchers found clues to the personnel flow between the Unit 731 and the Japanese army's Kwantung Army Chemical Department, also known as Unit 516, established in in Qiqihar, Heilongjiang. 

According to Jin, Unit 516 served as the headquarters for Japan's chemical warfare operations during the Japanese invasion of China, while the Unit 731 served as the headquarters for germ warfare. 

According to the document, one of the 52 members was transferred from Unit 516 to Unit 731 in 1945, demonstrating the new discovery of the close links and personnel flow between the germ and chemical warfare units of the Japanese Imperial Army, Jin noted. 

The new findings detailed in the document also show that the Unit 731 and a Harbin-based medical university during the illegitimate regime of Manchukuo, a puppet state established by Japanese invaders to control Northeast China from 1932 until 1945, jointly cultivated young soldiers. 

The document shows that four members of Unit 731 were sent to the medical university for three years of the so-called medical training as military family students from Japan and they returned to Unit 731 after graduation from the medical university. 

According to Jin, the complete documentary information of the four members once again proved that the medical universities in the northeastern region of China during the puppet Manchukuo regime served as an extension of Unit 731's medical crimes, collaborating with Unit 731 in conducting human experiments and bacteriological warfare. 

The human experiments and bacteriological warfare conducted by Unit 731 were the result of a top-down, organized, premeditated, and systematic group crime integrated with cooperation among the military, academia, government, and medical sectors in Japan, Jin said. 

The personal information declaration forms also revealed for the first time that the Unit 731 also contained intelligence agent positions. 

This document serves as a new element for the primary historical record and core document of Unit 731, provides important evidence for studying issues such as the overall structure of Unit 731, its post-war trajectory, and war responsibility, holding significant academic value and practical significance for deepening research on the Japanese bacteriological warfare, according to the exhibition hall. 

China's Shenzhou-17 manned spaceship separated from the space station combination on Tuesday, and the astronauts aboard -- Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin -- are returning to Earth, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

China's disease control and prevention authority has recently warned of increasing risks of the spread of infectious diseases during the approaching May Day holidays and reminded localities to persist in implementing multi-channel monitoring of the COVID-19 epidemic and multi-pathogen monitoring of other respiratory infectious diseases.

According to a notice issued by China's National Disease Control and Prevention Administration regarding the prevention and control of key infectious disease epidemics during the upcoming May Day holidays and the spring and summer seasons, while the overall situation of infectious diseases in China is generally stable, COVID-19 viruses are still mutating, and there are still certain fluctuations in the epidemic situation, and the prevention and control of some infectious diseases are facing new situations and characteristics.

According to the notice, the global COVID-19 pandemic caused by the JN.1 variant has peaked and declined to a lower level, and the COVID-19 situation in China continues to remain at a low level with a wave-like pattern of prevailing. However, the viruses are still mutating, resulting in certain fluctuations in the epidemic situation.

Meanwhile, prevention and control of some infectious diseases in China are encountering new situations and characteristics. In some areas, influenza epidemics have not yet returned to the same level as in previous years. The pertussis epidemic is showing a rapid growth trend, and reported cases of hand-foot-mouth disease are significantly increasing. The co-occurrence of multiple diseases has become normalcy.

In addition, dengue fever, measles, and other epidemics have rebounded in multiple countries and regions globally, increasing the risk of overseas epidemics being imported into China.

In May when spring transitions into summer, some mosquito-borne diseases and intestinal infectious diseases enter their peak seasons. The increased mobility of personnel during the May Day holidays and the rise in gathering activities may amplify the transmission risk of infectious diseases such as COVID-19.

Therefore, the disease control and prevention authority emphasized that during the May Day holidays, all regions should strengthen epidemic prevention and control at ports, closely monitor key infectious diseases worldwide, such as COVID-19, dengue fever, measles and malaria, implement measures such as temperature monitoring, medical inspections, epidemiological investigations, and medical screenings for inbound travelers, conduct spot checks of nucleic acid testing for COVID-19 among inbound travelers, and enhance health education for inbound and outbound travelers.

The notice also stressed that all regions should continue to implement multi-channel monitoring of COVID-19 and multi-pathogen monitoring of respiratory infectious diseases, strengthen monitoring and early warning based on the characteristics of infectious disease outbreaks in spring and summer, conduct comprehensive analysis and assessment of the epidemic situation, and promptly conduct investigations and handling of outbreaks.

Meanwhile, the notice emphasized the need for adequate preparations for medical treatment and strengthened training for medical personnel and medical service management to ensure smooth and orderly medical services.

Moreover, in line with the goal of achieving a vaccination coverage rate of no less than 90 percent in the national immunization program, all localities should strengthen monitoring and assessment of vaccination rates. Efforts should be made to ensure that eligible children receive timely and complete vaccinations. Additionally, there should be continued promotion of vaccination among key populations with COVID-19 vaccines containing components targeting the XBB variant.

The disease control and prevention authority has told local authorities to strengthen epidemic prevention and control measures in key institutions such as childcare facilities and schools as well as elderly care institutions and social welfare institutions to reduce the risk of introducing and spreading of the epidemics.

The disease control and prevention authority also reminded the public to conduct self-health monitoring before traveling and after returning, and to take timely and effective preventive and treatment measures if any health issues are detected.

China strongly condemned unwarranted accusations and malicious slander against China, and urged British politicians to stop their belligerent rhetoric, and instead, focus more on domestic economic and social issues, a spokesperson from Chinese Embassy in the UK said on Wednesday, in response to UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s latest anti-China remarks.

The British politician is looking for an excuse to ramp up British military spending. We firmly reject his Cold War rhetoric that incites antagonism and confrontation, the spokesperson said.

China is committed to promoting peace and justice, and has always sought peace talks and the peaceful settlement of international conflicts. China has contributed more than one-third of global economic growth consistently. China has always been committed to promoting international cooperation and maintaining world stability. These are undeniable truths, the spokesperson noted.

However, the current UK government seems to be set on stirring up troubles and heightening tension around the world. They are supplying offensive weapons to one side in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, exacerbating the situation.

The UK has repeatedly opposed resolutions calling for an immediate cease-fire at the United Nations Security Council on the Gaza issue. It shows no support for Palestine’s application for full UN membership and continues to supply weapons to Israel. The UK has forgone any sense of morality and has no concept of responsibility when it comes to matters of international peace and justice, the spokesperson noted.

We urged the UK to act in a way that is truly in the interest of world peace and justice, the spokesperson noted.