Mohammed bin Salman reportedly threatened to place UAE under blockade

MEE staff Tue, 07/18/2023 - 11:23

 PORT MORESBY, JULY 17, 2023 Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister, Hon. James Marape, announced today that the President of France, H.E. Emmanuel Macron, will undertake a one-day visit to Papua New Guinea on Friday, July 28, 2023.

Prime Minister Marape extended the invitation to President Macron during a meeting held in Port Moresby on June 5, 2023, with Mr. Walid Fouque, Special Advisor for Asia and the Pacific to President Macron.

Prime Minister Marape with President Macron in Gabon, Central Africa, in March this year.-PM Media Photo

President Macron and Prime Minister Marape have previously met on the sidelines of the One Forest Summit in Gabon, Central Africa, in March of this year, as well as during APEC 2022 in Bangkok, Thailand, where President Macron attended as an invited guest.

President Macron is scheduled to arrive in Port Moresby at 11am on Friday, July 28, 2023, and depart at 5pm on the same day. The itinerary for the visit includes a courtesy call on Governor-General Sir Bob Dadae, a one-on-one meeting with Prime Minister Marape, followed by a bilateral meeting and the signing of various agreements.

Prime Minister Marape emphasised the significance of President Macrons visit in strengthening bilateral relations between France and Papua New Guinea.

Under my leadership, France and PNG have been actively enhancing our bilateral relationship, along with other nations, said Prime Minister Marape.

I appreciate President Macrons commitment, as demonstrated by his decision to visit PNG and engage in discussions on matters of mutual interest between our countries.

President Macrons visit comes on the eve of the final investment decision (FID) by French super-major TotalEnergies on the Papua LNG Project, demonstrating Frances increased investment in Papua New Guinea. TotalEnergies is also involved in downstream processing of natural resources such as forests...

Mideast, Africa Emerge as New Popular Destinations for Chinese Tourists This Summer

By Cui Fandi and Zhang Changyue

Jul 17, 2023 10:51 PM

Dancers interact with tourists from China during a welcoming ceremony at the OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, on March 29, 2023. South Africa's tourism authority on Wednesday welcomed the first group of tourists from China since the outbreak of COVID-19.(Photo: Xinhua)

With the dog days of the year coming along with the summer holidays, Chinese travelers are unleashing their long pent-up energy on trips overseas. Some unexpected names have become new favorites on their list of destinations in addition to the traditional destinations in Europe and the US, including some countries in the Middle East and Africa.

Data from online travel platform Tuniu shows that since June, there has been a huge demand for visas for destinations including Singapore, Thailand, France, Malaysia, New Zealand, Italy, Spain, Vietnam, Greece and Russia, which are among the most popular overseas destinations in the summer. Ranked in the top 10 destinations, there are only four European countries, and no US.

European countries remain among the main destinations chosen by most clients, but many have turned their interest to destinations that are not the usual favorites, including Switzerland, Iceland, Serbia and the Caucasus region, Han Jie, head of CYTS Aoyou Travel Technology Development, told the Global Times on Monday.

In addition, some unexpected destinations appeared on the hot destination list, such as some Middle Eastern and African countries. These new hot destinations include South Africa, Kenya, Egypt, the UAE and Iran, Han said.

Data from another online travel platform Trip.com also shows a similar trend - just as Europe and other traditional popular destinations showed a trend to cool down, the Middle East and Africa market has become the summer outbound travel market "dark horse," media outlet The Paper reported Monday.

The popularity of travelin...