China will hold the rotating chair of the emerging-market bloc of BRICS (Brazil,
Russia, India, China and South Africa) next year and host its ninth summit in
the southeastern Chinese city of Xiamen in September, President Xi Jinping
announced on Oct 16.
China expects to work with all parties concerned
to implement the consensuses reached at previous summits, deepen their
partnerships and write a new chapter for the BRICS cooperation, Xi said at the
eighth BRICS summit in the western Indian state of Goa.
Xiamen, a
tourist resort on the southeast coast of China, is known for its mild climate
and beautiful scenery.
Xi served as vice mayor of Xiamen in the 1980s.
China has decided to extend its visa waiver policy to ordinary passport holders from Canada and the United Kingdom starting from Feb 17.
Forty-one new port-of-entry duty-free shops have been established nationwide, with Xiamen Xiang'an International Airport, Xiamen Wutong Passenger Wharf, and Xiamen International Cruise Center included on the list.
