Xinhua
February 14, 2015
A press group visits a scenic lookout at China’s border with Russia and North Korea in Hunchun, Jilin, June 14, 2012. (File photo/CNS)
China is planning an international tourism zone in its northeastern border area with Russia and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
The Tumen River Delta international tourism area will include part of the Chinese city of Hunchun, as well as a 10 square kilometer plot each from Russia and DPRK, said the government of China’s Jilin province. The three sides will jointly build tourism facilities.
At the ongoing annual session of the provincial legislature, Jiang Chaoliang, governor of Jilin, said the province would draw up a blueprint for the tourism area this year and explore a management model that would involve the three countries.
The initiative was put forward by the Hunchun government in 2013 and has drawn interest from authorities along the border areas of Russia and DPRK.
Visitors can enter the tourism zone without visas and shopping shall be duty-free, according to officials.
In the long run, the Republic of Korea, Japan and Mongolia will join the tourism area via highways, railways and air routes, said Zhao Xiaojun, director of the Jilin Provincial Tourism Administration.
The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) launched the Greater Tumen Initiative (GTI) in 1995, which provides a multilateral forum for its member countries to tap potential economic opportunities.
