About 200 first class contestants from Asia took part in the 2016 cross-strait vehicle model (off-road) GP, which kicks off Saturday in Xiamen, a coastal city in China's Fujian province.
Racers from China, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong and Macao of China, will compete in two categories, 1/8 internal combustion engine off-road vehicle race and for 1/8 electric off-road vehicle race in the two-day event.
Raymond Lau, a contestant from Singapore, expressed that the racing field was among the world level.
"I have been doing the sports for more than 10 years and experienced lots of competitions. This is the first time I take part in competition in China," Lau said.
"The racing field is amazing. The scales of the field, the service and the supporting facilities are among the world class level."
Lan Xiasong, chairman of the Chinese Taipei delegation and the referee, said that there were 35 contestants from Chinese Taipei attending the event, which is a good platform for cross-strait contestants to communicate with each other.
"Our vehicle model learned a lot from Europe and Japan, but the sport in mainland has developed increasingly fast these years," Lan said. "I hope Chinese contestants can beat these European contestants in the international competition in the near future."
China announced and implemented on May 15 a policy allowing visa-free entry of foreign tourist groups aboard cruise ships via all cruise ship ports along the country's coastline.
China and Georgia are set to waive visa requirements for travelers starting May 28.
