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Friday 18 September

9 updates
Policy & visas
European Commission Press CornerUkraine / Russia / EU

European Commission Disburses €3.3 Billion in Defence Funding to Ukraine

The European Commission disbursed €3.3 billion to Ukraine for defence procurement under the €90 billion Ukraine Support Loan, covering drones and missiles. It is the fourth payment under the loan's defence window and brings the Commission's payments to Ukraine this year to nearly €15 billion. The Ukraine Support Loan includes €30 billion for budgetary aid and €60 billion for defence across 2026-2027. The Commission also said it is ready to use remaining funds from the Security Action for Europe instrument to launch a new joint EU-Ukraine programme to develop a European air and missile defence system.

Policy & visas
China Tourism NewsInner Mongolia / Manzhouli

First Foreign-Invested Travel Agency Established in Manzhouli Area of Inner Mongolia FTZ

On Sept 18, Manzhouli's culture, sports, tourism, radio and television bureau announced that Weixing International Travel Service Co., Ltd. was approved, becoming the first foreign-invested travel agency in the Manzhouli area of the Inner Mongolia Free Trade Zone. The company has registered capital of RMB 2 million, completed business registration on Sept 9, with Russian investor Tsvetkova? (transliterated) as legal representative, and obtained its travel agency business license on Sept 15. Foreign-invested travel agency access is a cultural tourism innovation pilot in the Manzhouli area, with multiple local departments coordinating to streamline approval.

Policy & visas
China Tourism NewsChina / Washington / New York / United States

US Returns 64 Artifacts and Fossils to China

On Sept 16 and 17 local time, China's National Cultural Heritage Administration received two batches totaling 64 artifacts and paleontological fossils returned by US Homeland Security Investigations and the New York Manhattan District Attorney's Office in Washington and New York. Vice Minister of Culture and Tourism and NCHA Director Rao Quan signed return confirmation documents with the US side. The return was conducted under the bilateral memorandum of understanding on restricting the illegal import of Chinese cultural property into the US, first signed in 2009 and renewed three times. Items include a bodhisattva torso from the north wall of Cave 17 at Tianlongshan, statues, pottery figur…

Policy & visas
Pinchain TourismChina

Call for Tourism International Standard Proposals, Deadline October 11

To implement the National Standardization Development Outline and leverage the role of the domestic technical counterpart of ISO/TC228, a call for tourism international standard proposals has been launched. Application materials include a proposal application form, drafting notes and Chinese-English draft standards; the drafting team must have strong English ability, tourism standardization experience and sufficient funding, and applicants must submit two paper copies and a PDF by October 11, 2026. Priority areas include diving services, sustainable tourism, tourism accommodation services, gastronomy tourism services, business travel, smart tourism and new tourism formats, and proposals mus…

Policy & visas
China Tourism NewsChina

State Council Forwarded Measures to Boost RV Consumption

The State Council General Office forwarded the Measures to Boost RV Consumption (Guoban Han [2026] No. 82), proposed by ten departments led by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, dated 13 September 2026. The nine-part policy covers improving RV supply quality, registration, scrappage and driver training, road access and parking, campsite development, tourism product supply, rental services, financial support, consumption promotion and safety management.

Policy & visas
China Tourism NewsChina

Ministry of Culture and Tourism Issues Notice on 15th Five-Year Cultural Industry Plan

On 16 September 2026, China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism issued a notice on the 15th Five-Year Plan for Cultural Industry Development, addressed to provincial culture and tourism departments, the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps' culture, sports, radio, television and tourism bureau, the ministry's departments and affiliated units, and the National Cultural Heritage Administration. The notice says the plan was compiled to promote high-quality development of the cultural industry and requires recipients to organise implementation according to local conditions. The plan is based on the 15th Five-Year Plan outline for national economic and social development and the 15th Five-Ye…

Policy & visas
China Tourism NewsChina

China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism Releases 15th Five-Year Plan for Cultural Industry

China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism released the 15th Five-Year Plan for Cultural Industry Development, setting overall requirements, key tasks and safeguards for the period. The plan aims for a leap in the scale, overall strength and comprehensive benefits of the cultural industry by 2030, and sets out seven task areas: raising supply efficiency, strengthening technology-enabled innovation, upgrading consumption, energising market entities, deepening industrial integration, optimising the development layout, and strengthening cultural trade. Cultural and tourism authorities at all levels are required to organise implementation according to local conditions.

Policy & visas
China Tourism NewsChina

NRTA Advances 'Micro-Drama Plus' Plan to Empower Tourism

A Sept 17 State Council Information Office briefing covered high-quality development of broadcasting and online audiovisual services during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. NRTA said online audiovisual users reached 1.099 billion by end-2025, with average daily viewing exceeding 200 minutes and industry market size surpassing RMB 1.2 trillion; micro-drama users exceed 800 million, with 2025 market size surpassing RMB 100 billion. The Micro-Drama Development Management Measures took effect Sept 1, alongside the 'Taihua' unified mark. NRTA is advancing the 'Micro-Drama Plus' action plan to empower tourism, sports and e-commerce, and plans about 100 quality TV and online dramas during the 15th…

Policy & visas
European Commission Press CornerUkraine / Russia / Kyiv / EU

European Commission President's Read-out After Call With Zelenskyy

European Commission President von der Leyen issued a read-out after a call with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, stating that Russia is relentlessly targeting Kyiv and that the EU will disburse another €3.3 billion to Ukraine the next day to procure missiles and drones. Last week the EU approved funding for Patriot systems through its Ukraine Support Loan, and she announced readiness to use remaining SAFE funds to launch a new programme for joint EU-Ukraine defence projects, including a joint European air and missile defence system.

Thursday 17 September

12 updates
Policy & visas
European Commission Press CornerUkraine / Iceland / Norway / EU / South Korea

EU and South Korea Sign MoU on IRIS² Secure Satellite Communications

The European Commission signed an administrative arrangement with the Republic of Korea on IRIS², a multi-orbit constellation for secure communication. The EU decided last month to accelerate the system by expanding it to more than 350 satellites, adding capacity for defence, security and emergency services, with first satellites launching from 2029. Agreements were already signed with Norway and Iceland, and one with Ukraine will follow.

Policy & visas
European Commission Press CornerEU

EU Unveils KIDS Act: No Social Media Under 13

European Commission Executive Vice-President Virkkunen presented the EU KIDS Act, which bars social media use under 13, allows 13-15 year-olds access only through guardian accounts, and imposes safety-by-design obligations for users under 18. Platforms must prevent stranger messaging, personalised ads and addictive features, and a framework for age verification and parental tools is established. The Digital Services Act had already led to investigations into TikTok and Meta.

Policy & visas
European Commission Press CornerEU

EU KIDS Act Approved: No Social Media Under 13

European Commission President von der Leyen announced the EU KIDS Act has been approved by the College. It bans social media under 13 and personal accounts under 15; ages 13-15 may use only mini accounts set up and supervised by parents or guardians, limited to one hour a day. For ages 15-18, safety-by-design is obligatory. Platforms must submit child safety plans in advance, and age verification uses EU-certified tools.

Policy & visas
China Tourism NewsBeijing / Tongzhou

Beijing Issues Plan to Deepen Culture, Commerce, Tourism, Sports and Exhibition Integration

The Beijing Municipal People's Government recently issued the Implementation Plan for Expanding and Upgrading Modern Service Industries in Beijing (2026-2030), which explicitly calls for deepening the integrated development of culture, commerce, tourism, sports and exhibitions, and for coordinated development under the framework of "culture leading, commerce transforming, technology empowering, tourism linking, sports driving and exhibitions amplifying." The plan proposes building and operating urban vitality districts such as the Grand Canal waterfront space, the "two parks and one river" waterfront living room, the South Central Axis "future axis" and the Olympic International Reception H…

Data & research
China Tourism NewsChina

Leveraging Culture and Tourism to Sustain Service Consumption Growth

China Tourism News published a commentary citing National Bureau of Statistics data: from January to August, total retail sales of consumer goods and services grew 2.5% year-on-year, with service retail up 4.9% and goods retail up 1.0%; tourism consulting and rental services retail grew over 10%. The article argues culture and tourism consumption has dual material and spiritual attributes and should leverage culture and technology to innovate products and drive service consumption.

Policy & visas
China Tourism NewsChina

China Releases Draft National Standard on Theme Park Tourism Service Requirements for Public Comment

On September 16, the National Tourism Standardization Technical Committee released a draft national standard, 'Tourism Service Requirements for Theme Parks,' for public comment. It sets out requirements for overall service, service delivery, service assurance, and service evaluation and improvement, applicable to theme parks providing tourism services. The standard would replace the decade-old 'Service Quality for Amusement Parks (GB/T 16767-2010).'

Policy & visas
Pinchain TourismChina

China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism Issues 15th Five-Year Plan for Culture and Tourism

China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism has issued the 15th Five-Year Plan for Culture and Tourism Development, targeting deeper progress toward a culture and tourism powerhouse by 2030, with domestic trips reaching 8.3 billion, inbound trips 190 million, and average annual public cultural facility visits per resident 3.5. The plan deploys eight key tasks including artistic creation, cultural heritage protection, public services, industry development, market regulation, technology empowerment, exchanges and cooperation, and regional-urban-rural coordination, supported by 54 key projects.

Policy & visas
China Tourism NewsBeijing / Pinggu District / Fangshan District / Chaoyang District / Haidian District / Tongzhou District

Beijing Adds Six Red Tourism Scenic Sites

On September 17, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism announced six newly designated red tourism scenic sites. Under the Beijing Red Tourism Scenic Site Assessment and Management Measures, following district recommendations, site inspections, and review meetings, the six sites approved for 2026 include the former site of Radio Station 491 in Chaoyang District, the Zhongguancun Village History Museum in Haidian District, the Beiping Takeover Cadre Training Class (Liangxiang Confucian Temple) in Fangshan District, the Shaotang Literature Museum in Tongzhou District, the Century Newspaper Reading Hall in Pinggu District, and the Xinhua Printing Factory in the Economic-Technologi…

Policy & visas
China Tourism NewsChina

Three Ministries Issue Guidelines to Optimize Natural Resource Allocation for Regulated Tourism Dev…

China's Ministry of Natural Resources, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and National Forestry and Grassland Administration jointly issued guidelines to optimize natural resource allocation and promote regulated, orderly tourism development. The guidelines cover tourism development space, use control, resource supply, stock utilization, and supervision. They clarify the link between tourism special plans and territorial spatial planning, incorporate 15th Five-Year Plan tourism space needs into a unified map, combine incremental supply with stock revitalization, apply differentiated use controls, explore treating multiple plots as one parcel and bundled natural resource asset supply, move app…

Policy & visas
European Commission Press CornerEurope / EU / Ireland

Commissioner Dombrovskis at Eurofi on Digital Euro and Financial Competitiveness

EU Commissioner Dombrovskis, speaking at the Eurofi forum in Dublin, outlined three themes: the digital euro project, strengthening the euro's international role, and a simplification agenda to boost banking competitiveness. He noted nearly two-thirds of card transactions in the euro area run through non-European providers, while 13 euro area member states rely entirely on international schemes. The digital euro's first issuance is targeted for 2029, with the Commission supporting the Irish Presidency's aim to conclude trilogue negotiations by year-end. He also said outstanding EU bonds have reached around €800 billion and that the Commission will push for their inclusion in sovereign bond…

Policy & visas
European Commission Press CornerEU

European Commission Adopts EU KIDS Act to Restrict Social Media Access for Children

On September 17, the European Commission adopted the EU KIDS Act proposal, prohibiting social media platforms from accessing children under 13 and setting an EU-wide minimum age of 15 for minors to open their own accounts. The Act is structured around four pillars: social media delay, safety-by-design, privacy-preserving age assurance, and effective enforcement. Platforms must prove their services are age-appropriate and safe by design, and submit compliance plans. The proposal has been submitted to the European Parliament and Council for examination.

Policy & visas
Brazil ANAC NewsBrazil

Brazil ANAC opens registration for 4th AVSEC Continuous Improvement Workshop

Brazil's National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) has opened registration until 29 September for the 4th AVSEC Continuous Improvement Workshop, to be held online and synchronously on 6-8 October from 14:00 to 17:00. Aimed at civil aviation security professionals, the workshop covers best practices in AVSEC quality control, artificial intelligence in AVSEC, the Airport Security Programme (PSA), human factors in AVSEC, cabin crew security procedures, and management of unruly behaviour in aviation. Because part of the content is classified as Restricted AVSEC Information (IRA), participation is limited to professionals holding a valid certificate from AVSEC courses under RBAC No. 110; the AVSEC A…

Wednesday 16 September

4 updates
Policy & visas
Brazil ANAC NewsBrazil

Brazil ANAC Resolution 800 Takes Effect on Unruly Passengers

Brazil's National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) Resolution No. 800 took effect on 14 September 2026, setting rules for handling unruly passengers at airports and on board. Conduct is split into three severity tiers — unruly, serious and very serious — with fines of up to BRL 17,500; very serious acts can also trigger a no-fly list barring domestic flights for six to 12 months. Airlines or airports notify the passenger and then ANAC, which tracks sanctions via a Serpro-built system. Abear data show 1,764 unruly-passenger cases on domestic flights in 2025, up 66% from 2024.

Policy & visas
European Commission Press CornerEU

European Commission pushes Member States to stop gold-plating

European Commissioner Dombrovskis addressed the European Parliament plenary on gold-plating, warning that when Member States add stricter or broader requirements while transposing EU law, it distorts competition, raises compliance costs especially for SMEs, and discourages cross-border activity. The Commission will work with Member States on better detection, follow-up and prevention, prepare a best-practice toolkit, and has circulated questionnaires to Member States and stakeholders.

Policy & visas
Pinchain TourismShanghai / China / Beijing / Hainan / Hong Kong

240-hour transit visa-free countries rise to 57

Pinchain Tourism reports that the 2026 World Tourism Cooperation and Development Conference was held at the Shougang International Convention and Exhibition Center in Beijing, where the World Tourism City Development Report (2025-2026) was released. Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong ranked in the top ten of the global tourism city ranking, with Beijing fifth, up two places from last year. The report assesses 100 tourism cities across six dimensions: city visibility, industry prosperity, city intelligence, tourism safety, economic contribution and visitor satisfaction. National Immigration Administration data released in July showed 22.914 million inbound foreign visits in the first half of 20…

Policy & visas
China Tourism NewsChina

Three Ministries Issue Guidance to Optimize Natural Resource Allocation for Regulated Tourism Growth

China's Ministry of Natural Resources, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and National Forestry and Grassland Administration jointly issued guidance to optimize natural resource allocation and promote regulated, orderly tourism development. The guidance introduces incremental policies covering spatial planning, land-use control, land supply models, revitalization of inefficient land, and service supervision. It calls for incorporating the spatial needs of 15th Five-Year Plan tourism development into the national territorial spatial planning 'one map', allows certain scattered tourism public facilities to be sited as independent urban construction land outside urban development boundaries, per…