{"text":[[{"start":6,"text":"This month alone, China has hosted a string of high-profile visitors, including Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Pakistan’s prime minister Shehbaz Sharif. Judging from the growing queues at immigration at Beijing Capital airport, which I used to breeze through until only last year, it is not just heads of state making the trip."}],[{"start":26.85,"text":"Beijing’s streets, largely bereft of foreign visitors even after China lifted pandemic travel restrictions, are noticeably busier with international tourists again — thanks in part to the dropping of visa requirements for 50 countries. From January to March, foreigners made 21mn trips to China, up 22 per cent year on year, on track to surge past pre-pandemic levels. For Beijing, the revival offers the chance to expand its soft power while boosting consumption."}],[{"start":54.900000000000006,"text":"Recent visiting friends from overseas usually cite some combination of visa-free travel, curiosity about China’s futuristic consumer and manufacturing landscapes, and cheap transit routes to Asia, especially amid disruption to Middle Eastern aviation corridors. While many would once have hesitated to visit a country associated with draconian pandemic lockdowns, China has found itself in the unusual position of being cool."}],[{"start":79.65,"text":"The soft-power benefit was not one that Beijing entirely engineered itself. After Washington briefly banned TikTok in the US last year, some American users migrated to RedNote, a Chinese social media platform, in protest. Combined with the global spread of trends ranging from Labubu toys to bubble tea, the result has been a broader phenomenon known as “China-maxxing”."}],[{"start":100.80000000000001,"text":"Beijing’s propaganda apparatus has eagerly embraced the trend, sponsoring trips for influencers to showcase Chongqing’s sparkling skyline and the dramatic mountain scenery of Hunan’s so-called “Avatar Mountains”. The resulting content has helped soften perceptions of a country that, until recently, was more associated overseas with surveillance, lockdowns and aggressive foreign policies. "}],[{"start":125.75000000000001,"text":"According to Pew polling this year, 27 per cent of Americans now hold a favourable view of China, nearly double the figure in 2023. It is striking that younger Americans, the demographic most exposed to positive online content, hold more favourable views than older generations. Roughly one-third of Americans under 50 view China positively, compared with just 19 per cent of those over 50."}],[{"start":null,"text":"
"}],[{"start":153.95000000000002,"text":"China has historically lagged behind regional peers in turning itself into a globally desirable tourism brand. Previous state-led campaigns often felt heavy-handed, while Chinese cultural industries struggled to achieve broad international reach. "}],[{"start":168.8,"text":"There is also an obvious economic win. While China’s excess goods can be shipped abroad, the same cannot be said for services. Weak domestic demand has created deflationary pressure across hotels, restaurants and leisure businesses, many of which have resorted to aggressive discounting."}],[{"start":186.05,"text":"For years, China scarcely needed to market itself abroad and inbound tourism makes up only a fraction of its overall GDP. Domestic travellers alone were enough to overwhelm scenic sites and infrastructure during peak seasons."}],[{"start":199.45000000000002,"text":"For policymakers desperate to stimulate consumption without resorting to massive fiscal stimulus, encouraging more foreign tourists, who spend more than domestic ones, makes sense. On a recent trip to those “Avatar Mountains”, a hotel owner told me international tourists now accounted for most of his guests, especially Russians and Koreans. It was a rare note of optimism in a consumer-facing sector struggling with weak demand."}],[{"start":224.9,"text":"There is still substantial friction for travellers unaccustomed to the language and a society reliant on apps, which means local hosts have to do more than their usual dose of hand-holding. Meanwhile, some arrivals from countries deemed “high risk”, including Turkey and Pakistan, told me that they had police visits to their hotel rooms, showing that not all of China’s institutions are primed to welcome foreigners. "}],[{"start":248.85,"text":"Meanwhile, international air travel has also yet to fully normalise. Chinese carriers, not known among international customers for high standards of customer service or for easy-to-use booking sites, increasingly dominate flight capacity. With access to Russian airspace, they are providing cheaper and shorter flights to Europe than western rivals."}],[{"start":270.95,"text":"It looks likely that foreigners will continue to flock to China, ready to spend money and make memories to bring home. For China, which is looking to boost its global image and diversify its economy, both carry a new significance."}],[{"start":292.5,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1779966842_9709.mp3"}