Travel demand surges, Visa-free entry to Guilin from 15 March 2023, U.S. drone collides with Russian jet

Research, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA

News on CCP, U.S., Russia

News (1)

China opens up to group tours, demand for travel to Vietnam surges

Image of a Guangxi GX Airlines flight : Researcher's Picture

Culture and Tourism Department of CCP China recently issued a notice that starting from 15 March 2023, an additional 40 countries will be added for outbound group tours. After the news was released, travel agencies and online travel companies stepped up preparations for related products. Air tickets and hotel bookings in the relevant countries involved in the notification also increased significantly year-on-year.

According to the person in charge of a travel platform, the data shows that from 8 January to 8 March 2023, the number of air ticket reservations for mainland tourists to Vietnam increased by more than 23 times year-on-year, and the number of hotel reservations increased by 22 times year-on-year.

GX Airlines plans to resume flights to Hanoi from Nanning and Luoyang while Vietnam Airlines is increasing flights to Chinese cities in April 2023 from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

News (2)

Visa-free entry to Guilin, Guangxi from 15 March 2023 reinstated, among other measures to facilitate tourism exchanges

According to the official WeChat message of the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in order to further facilitate the exchange of Chinese and foreign personnel, it has been decided to make the following adjustments to the visa and entry policies for foreigners coming to CCP China from 12 am of 15 March 2023:

1. The entry function of visas issued before 28 March 2020 and still within the validity period will be resumed.

2. The visa agencies stationed abroad resume the review and issuance of various types of visas for foreigners to go to China.

3. Port visa agencies resume reviewing and issuing various types of port visas that meet the statutory requirements.

4. The policy of visa-free entry to Hainan, visa-free Shanghai cruise ships, visa-free entry to Guangdong by groups of foreigners from Hong Kong and Macau, and visa-free policies for ASEAN tour groups to enter Guilin, Guangxi will be resumed.

There is no mention on reinstating the policy of visa-free entry policy for Singaporean leisure travellers into CCP China.

Refs.: https://www.chinanews.com.cn/gn/2023/03-14/9970999.shtml, https://www.shicheng.news/v/zWmKx

News (3)

U.S. jet collides with Russian jet over Black Sea

Reporter : Charles Downs / https://nationalfile.com/u-s-drone-collides-with-russian-jet-over-black-sea/

United States military personnel announced that a U.S. drone collided with a Russian jet over the Black Sea near Ukraine on Tuesday morning (14 March 2023). This incident marks the first time the United States and Russia have had a direct confrontation since the Russia-Ukraine War began.

 In a statement, United States Airforce General James B.Hecker said, “At approximately 7:03 AM (CET), one of the Russian Su-27 aircraft struck the propeller of the MQ-9, causing U.S. forces to have to bring the MQ-9 down in international waters. Several times before the collision, the Su-27s dumped fuel on and flew in front of the MQ-9 in a reckless, environmentally unsound and unprofessional manner. This incident demonstrates a lack of competence in addition to being unsafe and unprofessional.”

 In a tweet Tuesday afternoon, Donald Trump Jr. attacked the U.S. Airforce statement. “The US Air Force issued a statement accusing the Russian aircraft of acting in a “reckless, environmentally unsound and unprofessional manner. Environmentally unsound. That’s what they’re worried about. Not the start of WWIII. Trump was right again!” the former president’s son wrote.

 National Security Council Communications Director John Kirby told reporters that National Security Director Jake Sullivan had briefed Joe Biden on the incident. Biden has yet to comment publicly on the incident.

 

Since the start of 2023, Joe Biden and other important Biden White House officials, such as Jannet Yallen, have traveled to Ukraine to pledge billions of dollars of United States taxpayer-funded aid. Biden has repeatedly said that the United States will fund Ukraine for however long it takes.

 

At a campaign stop in Iowa Monday night, Donald Trump promised to end the Russia- Ukraine war in 34 hours or less. On Monday night, Trump said, “Standing before you today, I am the only candidate that can make this promise. I will prevent World War 3.”