Italy has announced its formal withdrawal from the Belt and Road Initiative after joining the China-centered infrastructure and investment project in 2019.
The timing of the announcement that Rome won’t renew its BRI commitment is notable. It came only a day before the EU-China summit, which kicks off on Thursday. The summit will likely be more contentious than usual, with European leaders expected to push China on the treatment of EU firms amid discussions ...
Category: Tourism
Thai Leader Debunks Idea of Hosting Chinese Police for Joint Patrols in Tourist Zones
Thailand’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said the country would not be inviting Chinese police officers to patrol Thai tourist destinations after reports of such a plan sparked an outcry. Tourism officials had recently raised the idea of having Chinese and Thai ...
Southeast Asian Vacation Spots Wait for Chinese Tourists Who Seem More Content to Stay Home
The number of Chinese tourists that went abroad during last week’s normally bustling holiday break was significantly below pre-pandemic levels and even fell short of official forecasts, raising more concerns about the country’s tightened consumer spending. While a rare confluence of ...
Chinese National Among the Dead After Mass Shooting in Bangkok Mall
A 14-year-old boy suffering from a psychiatric episode walked into Bangkok's upscale Siam Paragon Mall and randomly started shooting, killing two and wounding five others. Among the dead included a female Chinese tourist. The ...
Blockbuster Movie Scares Chinese Tourists Away From Thailand
Chinese tourists landing in Bangkok on Monday were greeted with a heroes welcome, including Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, who went to the airport to personally welcome the first batch of visa-free visitors. Thailand is desperate to revive its Chinese tourism ...
Cambodia Must Check Chinese-Sponsored Casinos’ Operations in Sihanoukville
Cambodia’s Sihanoukville Province has seen tremendous growth in infrastructure and development in the past decade, thanks to China’s help. Tourism flourishes, spurring employment opportunities and economic activities. Unfortunately, a majority of that development comes from casinos and gambling businesses, which ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
Awkward Timing as Italy Withdraws from BRI
Eco-Tourism in Thailand: The Case for Promoting Environmentally-Sensitive Travel to Chinese Visitors
China’s growing partnerships with Southeast Asia in the past decade, thanks largely to its Belt and Road Initiative championing the “China Dream', has attracted an influx of Chinese tourists into the region each year. Many Southeast Asian countries, including Cambodia and Thailand, have even offered ...
Tensions Flare in Ancient Thai City Over New Chinese-Backed High-Speed Railway
Majestic royal palaces, serene Buddhist monasteries, and ancient sacred Buddhist relics known as stupas with intricate carvings stand in stillness, towering above a viewer gazing from the ground. This is Thailand’s Historic City of Ayutthaya: the old city north of the capital Bangkok situated in the middle of ...
Chinese Tourist Flight Given Hero’s Welcome in Cambodia
In a sign of how eager Southeast Asian countries are to welcome back Chinese visitors, the first flight from China since outbound travel resumed was given a ceremonial welcome when it landed on Tuesday in the Cambodian capital Phenom Penh. Cambodia ...
Chinese Arrivals Feted at Bangkok Airport
In a striking demonstration of how central Chinese tourism is to Southeast Asian economies, travelers arriving from a reopening China were literally applauded as they disembarked in Bangkok this week.
Mixed Reactions in Asia, Africa About the Return of Chinese Tourists
For the first time in three years, as of Sunday, Chinese nationals are now permitted to travel abroad, prompting a wave of nervous excitement among tourism operators in Asia and elsewhere about the long-awaited return of cash-flush Chinese travelers. Outbound travel ...