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President Xi Jinping arrived in Belgrade, capital of Serbia, on Tuesday night, starting a state visit to the central European country. Upon his arrival, the Chinese president said he is confident that this visit will be a fruitful one and open up a new chapter in China-Serbia relations.
"On behalf of the Chinese government and people, I would like to extend heartfelt greetings and best wishes to the friendly government and people of Serbia," Xi said in a written speech upon his arrival at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport.
The last time Xi was in Serbia was in 2016, when the two countries' heads of state upgraded bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership. Since then, the China-Serbia relationship has realized leapfrog development, and achieved historic results, Xi said in the speech.
Standing at a new historical starting point, he said that China will work with Serbia to jointly stay committed to the original aspiration and forge ahead together to open up a new vista in China-Serbia cooperation, with stronger momentum, greater scope and higher quality.
"I look forward to taking this visit as an opportunity to have in-depth exchange of views with President Aleksandar Vucic on bilateral ties and other issues of mutual interest, renew friendship, plan for cooperation, explore development, and draw up a new blueprint for the development of bilateral relations," he said.
Xi is currently making a six-day visit to Europe, his first European tour in five years. The three-nation trip has already taken him to France, and later he will go to Hungary.
Reporter: Mo Jingxi

Recent quality scandals involving Japanese pharmaceutical companies have raised concerns among many Chinese tourists and business travelers who say such incidents may erode their trust in Japanese drugs and health products.
最近涉及日本制药公司的质量丑闻引起了许多中国游客和商务旅行者的担忧，因为这类事件可能会削弱他们对日本药品和保健品的信任。
Li Xiang, a 42-year-old visitor from Shanghai on a business trip in Tokyo, expressed surprise upon learning about kidney disorders linked to Kobayashi Pharmaceutical's dietary supplements containing red yeast rice and Kyokuto's manipulation of test records for the gastrointestinal medicine Seirogan. He noted that Japanese products have long been trusted.
42岁的上海游客李翔在东京出差时，得知小林制药含有红曲米的膳食补充剂与肾脏疾病有关，以及京东公司篡改胃肠药物正露丸的检测记录后，他表示惊讶。他指出，日本产品长期以来一直受到信任。
"I'm not entirely surprised. We've seen in the news that in Japan, the older generation is still very dedicated and follows rules diligently, but it seems like the younger generation has changed somewhat," Li said.
“但我并不完全感到惊讶。可以在新闻中看到，日本的老一代仍然非常敬业，勤奋地遵守规则，但似乎年轻一代已经有所改变。”
"When I buy health products or medicines in Japan, I feel a bit worried that the quality of the products may not be as guaranteed as people imagine."
“当我在日本购买保健品或药品时，我有点担心产品的质量可能不像人们想象的那样有保证。”
Before making a purchase, Li does a lot of research, searching for information online and relying on recommendations from friends, so as to ensure the product meets the standards that make him feel comfortable.
在购买之前，李翔做了大量的研究，在网上搜索信息，并依靠朋友的推荐，以确保产品符合让他感到舒适的标准。
Zhao Zhijie, a 60-year-old tourist from Shanghai, also usually buys medicine based on recommendations from friends.
60岁的上海游客赵志杰也经常根据朋友的推荐买药。
"The scandals involving Japanese pharmaceutical companies will affect my confidence in their products," she said in front of a drugstore in Tokyo's Shibuya district on Saturday.
5月4日，她在东京涩谷区的一家药店前表示：“涉及日本制药公司的丑闻将影响我对他们产品的信心，” 
Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announced that as of May 1, Kobayashi Pharmaceutical had reported 270 hospitalized patients due to the development of kidney diseases and other issues after taking its dietary supplements containing red yeast rice, or beni-koji.
日本厚生劳动省宣布，截至5月1日，小林制药报告了270名住院患者，他们在服用含有红曲米的膳食补充剂后，出现了肾脏疾病和其他问题。
The Osaka-based drugmaker also reported five deaths linked to such products. Three supplement brands of the company were recalled due to safety concerns.
这家总部位于大阪的制药商还报告了5起与此类产品有关的死亡事件。出于安全考虑，该公司召回了三个补充剂品牌。
Furthermore, Toyama Prefecture recently issued a business suspension order to pharmaceutical company Kyokuto in Toyama city. Manufacturing has halted for 23 days starting from April 30, while sale is suspended for 22 days.
此外，富山县最近对富山市的制药公司京东下达了暂停营业的命令。从4月30日开始，制药暂停23天，销售暂停22天。
The company was found to have falsified test records for Seirogan, making it look like it met approval standards before shipping.
该公司被发现伪造了正露丸的测试记录，使其在发货前看起来达到了批准标准。
This revelation has deeply concerned Toyama prefectural authori

President Xi Jinping underlined on Monday the necessity for China and France to uphold independence and autonomy and jointly fend off a new Cold War or bloc confrontation, during talks with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris.
The two sides should jointly uphold mutual benefits and oppose decoupling and the building of barriers, while sticking to farsightedness and promoting the equal and orderly multipolarization of the world, Xi told his host.
During the talks, both leaders also sought to strengthen their partnership and enhance the shared response to global challenges.
Before the talks, Macron hosted a pomp-filled welcoming ceremony for the Chinese president at Les Invalides, the French military museum, as the two leaders inspected a military band and the guard of honor.
The landmark meeting in Paris came more than one year after Xi hosted Macron in Beijing and Guangzhou, Guangdong province, in a number of engagements that saw the two leaders strengthen their personal bonds and reaffirmed both nations' shared commitment to global peace and stability.
Xi, in a signed article published on Monday in the French newspaper Le Figaro, underscored Beijing's readiness to work with Paris, in the spirit that guided the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations 60 years ago, to forge a stronger comprehensive strategic partnership.
"Both China and France value independence as two major countries. Our interactions in the long course of history have released tremendous energy swaying the trajectory of the world," he wrote.
Xi mentioned the key areas of progress secured in the bilateral ties over the past decades, including establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership, cooperation projects in aviation, nuclear energy and third-party markets, and the reaching of the Paris Agreement on climate change.
"We live in a world that is far from being tranquil and is once again facing a multitude of risks," Xi wrote, highlighting the need to reinforce the China-France comprehensive strategic partnership in promoting the stronger cooperation of the global community.
Meanwhile, Xi assured France that China, as the world's second-largest economy, will open even wider to the world and deepen cooperation with France and other countries.
"One thing that has made China's development possible is our firm commitment to opening-up," Xi wrote.
The president underscored that Beijing welcomes more quality French farm products and cosmetics to the Chinese market, adding that China invites more investment by companies from France and other countries.
He explained that China has fully opened up its manufacturing sector and will move faster to expand market access to telecommunication, medical and other services.
The president also mentioned the 15-day visa-exemption policy for visitors from many countries including France, as part of broader measures to facilitate travel and payment by foreigners in China.
Xi also made the case for heightened bilateral cooperation on innovation and the joint promotion of green development.
He emphasized that Beijing supports more investment in France by Chinese companies, while expressing the hope that France will ensure that they operate in a fair and equitable business environment.
Xi arrived in Paris on Sunday, the start of a six-day trip to Europe — his first overseas tour this year — that will also include key engagements with the leaders of Serbia and Hungary.
France is China's third-largest trading partner and third-largest source of actual investment within the European Union, while China is the European country's largest trading partner in Asia and the seventh-largest globally, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
Official statistics showed that trade between the two nations reached $78.94 billion last year.
Reporter: Xu Wei
Sway
使摇动；支配
Reinforce
加强，加固

Chinese holidays have injected impetus into the world economy, with the just-concluded May Day holiday bringing a strong burst of tourism growth to domestic as well as overseas destinations, travel experts said.They added that the holiday's prosperity marks the all-around recovery of the nation's tourism industry.The holiday brought good tidings from travel agencies, which said that long-distance tour products were hot sellers over the five-day holiday, which ended on Sunday. The holiday's good performance is also expected to promote the healthier, more sustainable development of the industry.More Chinese people chose to spend the break at overseas destinations. Travel portal Qunar said that countries and regions in and near Central Asia and in Europe were hot choices, with flight bookings to Saudi Arabia and Egypt seeing triple growth year-on-year on the platform. Flight sales heading to some European destinations, including the United Kingdom, Hungary, Ireland, Spain and Croatia, doubled at Qunar over the holiday.The recent currency declines of the Japanese yen made the nation one of the top choices for Chinese travelers, who went on sightseeing tours and shopping sprees, according to Qunar. Traditionally popular overseas destinations such as Thailand and Singapore were also overwhelmed by Chinese travelers during the holiday."The popularity and prosperity of overseas destinations with shorter travel times have exceeded our expectations. I think the main reasons lie in the adding of international flights, more friendly visa policies for Chinese people, and the longer duration of the holiday," said Qi Chunguang, vice-president of travel portal Tuniu.
Domestic scenic spots also witnessed a travel boom. Shanghai, Beijing and the tropical coastal city of Sanya in the southern island province of Hainan were the top three choices on Tuniu, while some inland provinces with cultural heritage or special cuisines went viral as well, according to the platform.During her holiday trip to Datong in North China's Shanxi province, Wei Jiajia wore a mamianqun, a Chinese traditional skirt, while visiting the Yungang Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage site with a history of about 1,600 years.Wei said she gained a better understanding of the cultural relics by wearing the dress, and she felt like she was a messenger of traditional Chinese culture.Xiao Peng, a researcher at Qunar, said that Chinese travelers have shown more balanced consumption preferences this holiday, leaving no destinations "untapped or unheard of", and tourism services chains have stabilized and seen a good recovery."Our figures show that reception capacities of airlines, trains, hotels and rural homestays registered a big boost this holiday. The prosperity of the May Day holiday marks a full recovery of the tourism market, which will also bring a healthier and more sustainable development of the tourism industry," he said.

A compilation of excerpts from discourses on Chinese modernization by Xi Jinping has been published in French by the Central Compilation and Translation Press.
Compiled by the Institute of Party History and Literature of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, the book collects a series of important discourses by Xi between November 2012 and October 2023 regarding Chinese modernization.
Both the book's French version and previously published English version will together help overseas readers better grasp the theoretical and practical context of Chinese modernization.
The book is also of great significance to enhancing the international community's understanding in joining hands on the path towards modernization.
On Saturday in Paris, a report released by Chinese think tanks also introduced the process of Chinese modernization and highlighted its global significance.
The report, titled "Chinese Modernization: The Way Forward," was coauthored by New China Research, the think tank of Xinhua News Agency, and the Institute of Party History and Literature of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and is available in four languages including Chinese, English, French and Russian.
Under the leadership of the CPC, in just several decades, the Chinese people have completed the process of industrialization that took developed countries several centuries to complete, said the report.
China has scored widely recognized achievements in modernization and realized two miracles, namely the rapid economic growth and long-term social stability, the report said.
China's modernization drive aims not only to benefit the Chinese people, but also to promote the common development of the world, the report added.
The report said that China has always worked to safeguard world peace, contribute to global development, preserve international order, and provide public goods, and it will continue to provide the world with new opportunities through its new development.
The country has actively participated in, promoted, and joined hands with other countries to push forward reform and development of the global governance system in a bid to make the international order fairer and more equitable, it said.
Chinese modernization has expanded the channels for developing countries to achieve modernization by providing them with a brand-new option, and offered a Chinese proposal for humanity's search for a better social system, said the report.
China will also  support the independent choices of peoples around the world regarding their own development paths, in a concerted effort to draw a new vision of the future featuring harmonious coexistence of modernization in diverse forms, it said.

Dive into the Fusion of French Elegance and Chinese CultureBlurb: This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of Sino-French diplomatic relations. We went to the French Cultural Center in Beijing to witness the magic of cultural exchange unfold. Check out the video to view the highlights! @InstitutFrChine