To encourage Americans to spend money in China, the Chinese government organized a “Tourism Leadership Summit” that featured a personal invitation from genocidal dictator Xi Jinping.
Xi sent a personal message to the event, held in the city of Xi’an, stressing the Communist Party’s emphasis on “cultural and people-to-people exchanges” to improve ties with the U.S. Organizers and state media noted that the China-U.S. Tourism Leadership Summit used to be held annually but had not been held since 2019, before the Communist Party began locking down entire cities in response to the coronavirus outbreak that began in Wuhan later that year.
Xi’an was the site of President Xi Jinping’s strictest lockdowns, in December 2021 and October 2022.
Volunteers wearing protective suits pack meals to deliver to people under lockdown in Xi’an, China, on January 4, 2022. (Zhang Bowen/The Associated Press via Xinhua)
“We sincerely welcome American tourists to visit China, meet Chinese friends, experience Chinese culture, visit beautiful scenery, and experience the real China,” Xi said in a message to the event. according to This was reported by China’s state-run news agency, Xinhua.
Xinhua quoted Xi as saying:
“I hope that this summit will be an opportunity for people from all walks of life in the two countries to deepen exchanges, reach common understanding, and take proactive steps to promote people-to-people exchanges through tourism cooperation, so as to uphold China-US friendly relations through cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and contribute to the realization of the San Francisco Initiative,” Xi said.
of Global TimesAnother Chinese government propaganda arm. report Left-leaning U.S. President Joe Biden also sent a letter to the tourism summit organizers and attendees, encouraging Chinese nationals to travel to the United States.
“The United States welcomes Chinese people to explore American cities, learn about our history, and interact with American people at destinations across the country,” Biden reportedly wrote.
U.S. President Joe Biden walks Chinese President Xi Jinping out to his car and bids him farewell after a meeting at the Filoli Mansion in California, Nov. 15, 2023. (Li Xueren/Xinhua via Getty Images)
American officials are hoping for a surge in tourists from China.
“Based on the latest projections, we expect a 150 percent increase in visits from China to the United States between 2023 and 2025,” said Grant Harris, assistant secretary for industry analysis at the U.S. Department of Commerce. Global Times“This is 4.7 times faster than the overall growth rate of international visitors to the United States during this period.”
Harris was one of 400 guests reported to have attended the Xi’an event.
of Global Times No similar predictions have been made for Americans traveling to China. The State Department currently has travel warnings in place for China, including the occupied or colonial territories of Hong Kong and Macau, warning that Americans could be indiscriminately jailed because of their nationality.
“U.S. citizens traveling to or residing in China may be detained without access to U.S. consular services or information about their suspected crimes,” the State Department warned. explain“Americans in China may be subject to interrogation and detention without receiving fair and transparent treatment under the law.”
Thousands of tourists visit the Hongyadong Scenic Area in Chongqing, China, on February 18, 2024. (Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Xi Jinping’s invitation to the American tourists comes as the dictator seeks to attract more foreign capital into the country to revive its struggling economy. The lockdown is only one part of the story behind China’s continued economic decline, which has crippled manufacturing and daily operations in the country’s largest economic center. China has also experienced a historic decline in foreign investment, a sluggish job market, and a devastating year for the real estate industry, with the government ordering the liquidation of giant property developer Evergrande. The lockdown chaos culminated in a devastating riot at the world’s largest iPhone factory in November 2022, which has led multinational companies to flee China and “hedge against risk” by relocating manufacturing to countries such as India and Vietnam.
The downturn prompted Xi to take further action himself: In March, he hosted a group of VIP American businessmen to ease concerns that the Communist Party was not maintaining a friendly environment for its operations overseas.
“We are planning and implementing a series of major measures to comprehensively deepen reform and continue to build a market-oriented, lawful and internationally first-class business environment,” Xi told potential investors, according to state media reports at the time.
In the face of new developments and changes in China-US economic and trade relations in recent years, both sides must adhere to mutual respect, mutual benefit and equal consultation, act in accordance with economic laws and market rules, expand and deepen mutually beneficial economic and trade cooperation, and respect each other’s rights to development.
China recorded a $11.8 billion fall in foreign investment in the fiscal quarter ending September 2023. It was the first foreign direct investment decline in Communist China’s history, necessitating increasingly tough measures to attract more foreign funds. The Chinese government has set its 2024 GDP growth target lower than in 2023, aiming for 5 percent growth.
President Xi Jinping said, Sit A Hong Kong spokesman said he would meet with foreign businessmen again on Thursday to “reassure business leaders”. South China Morning Postand increase confidence in the Chinese economy.
