Russians Flock to China for Herbal Therapy: Eye on Chinese Media

(Bloomberg) -- Tens of thousands of RUSSIANS VISIT the southern island province of Hainan each year, and almost 80 percent of them try some form of traditional Chinese therapy, China Daily reported. Traditional Chinese medicine is gaining popularity overseas, and more foreigners are coming to China for a treatment because clinics outside the country lack the right herbs and experienced professionals. Hainan has received 800,000 Russian tourists in the past seven years, and ads in Russian for acupuncture are common in the tourism hub of Sanya.

In Other Reports:

NORTH KOREA: As tension on the Korean Peninsula escalates, China's interest lies in de-nuclearization and preserving peace and security across the region, Veteran diplomat Fu Ying said in a 20,000-word article on the past, present and future of the issue for the state-backed China News Service. Fu was a deputy minister of foreign affairs before becoming chairperson of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National People's Congress.

HOLIDAY TRIP: Tourism revenue over the three-day Labor Day holiday last weekend jumped 16.2 percent from a year earlier to 79.1 billion yuan ($11.5 billion), the Xinhua News Agency reported, citing the National Tourism Administration. "The tourism boom came as China tries to wean its economy off over-reliance on exports and heavy industries, and shift to a growth model that draws strength from consumption, innovation and the service sector," Xinhua said.

AUTOMATION: Robots are gradually taking jobs from low-end workers, People's Daily reported, saying the trend won't threaten job security because it will also create new demand for employees to build and manage the machines. Companies told the Communist Party's flagship newspaper that shifting to automation helps them cut costs significantly.

To contact Bloomberg News staff for this story: Yinan Zhao in Beijing at yzhao300@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Malcolm Scott at mscott23@bloomberg.net, Jeff Kearns, Gregory Turk

With assistance from Yinan Zhao