Foreign visitors and local residents have been hitting the shops and snapping up a range of sci-tech goods in China’s Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area as many look to offer gifts to their family and friends during the upcoming Spring Festival.

The festive spirit is growing ahead of the Spring Festival, China’s most important annual holiday which marks the start of the Chinese New Year and will this year fall on Feb 17, ushering in the Year of the Horse.

In the Greater Bay Area, a dynamic city cluster in south China encompassing the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions and nine major cities across Guangdong Province, many shoppers are keen to get their hands on the latest gadgets on offer.

Foreign tourists are excitedly choosing various types of smart products, from smart musical instruments to advanced robots that are able to do Tai Chi.

“This (smart piano) is what I wanted, especially for my friends who play the piano or other instruments,” said a visitor from the Philippines.

“It’s very advanced and very complicated, and it’s nice to see it,” said a tourist from Pakistan who bought one of the Tai Chi robots.

Shopping malls in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area are also providing customized products centered around the Spring Festival including 3D-printed red packets, which are traditionally filled with money and gifted to relatives to bring good fortune, and Spring Festival couplets, scrolls emblazoned with messages of luck to welcome the new year.

Among the many other festive items for sale is a type of AI-powered lion-dance robot, which is able to recommend travel routes for those feeling like embarking on an adventure during the Spring Festival period.

China’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN), Fu Cong, said that China supports the preservation of Yemen’s national sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity, and calls for political talks to address regional disputes

Fu made his statement at the 10105th meeting of the UN Security Council on the Middle East on Thursday.

“The international community should double its efforts and work together to promote an early political settlement of the Yemen issue. China supports the preservation of Yemen’s sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity. We urge all parties to address their differences through political dialogue, work towards early reconciliation and swift resumption of economic reconstruction. We urge all Yemeni parties to exercise calm and restraint, to refrain from the use of force or any actions that could reignite conflict, and to preserve stability on the ground. China will continue to work together with the international community to make unremitting efforts towards achieving a political settlement of the Yemeni issue and restoring peace and stability across the Middle East,” Fu said.

During the meeting, the U.S. representative noted that ships bound for Houthi-controlled ports should strictly comply with the UN verification and inspection procedures to ensure full implementation of the arms embargo adopted in the UNSC Resolution 2216, with a deliberate emphasis on ships “originating from Chinese ports.”

In response to the groundless innuendo, Fu emphasized that China has been implementing strict control over military and dual-use items, and the legal and normal commercial activities between Chinese companies and other countries should not be accused of.

“In response to the relevant statement by the U.S. representative, I wish to stress that China has been strictly upholding and implementing Council resolutions, and faithfully fulfilling its international obligations. China’s approach to the export of military equipment has always been prudent and responsible. Our control of dual-use items has always been stringent. In the meantime, Chinese companies have the right under WTO rules and market principles to carry out normal commercial and trade cooperation with all countries. The U.S. representative, without presenting any evidence, has resorted to insinuation and groundless accusations against China. We find this regrettable, and we reject such accusations,” Fu said.