China has requested France to take more effective measures to ensure the safety of the Chinese tourists visiting the country after a group of 40 Chinese tourists was tear-gassed and robbed in Paris.
There has been frequent news on the attacks of the Chinese, Japanese and Korean tourists in the French capital, as robbers believe they carry large sums in cash and their luggage is stuffed with expensive products.
Last Thursday, four men targeted the Chinese travellers in the parking lot of their hotel in the Val-de-Marne suburb southeast of Paris while they were returning from a city tour. The attackers snatched away nine bags thought to be filled with luxury goods.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said that the Chinese visitors should be more vigilant and should be alert to enough to avoid any such situation.
Hua said they will urge the French police to crack this case as soon as they can and bring the criminals to justice, and take even more effective measures to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens in France.
In August 2016, 27 Chinese tourists were assaulted by six men who boarded a bus that was to take them to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport.
Tourist board of Paris declared in August that the city has seen the influx of more tourists than ever showing a sign of recovery after the Islamist attacks in November 2015 that killed 130 people. Chinese travellers spent $261 billion overseas last year, making them a key demographic for retailers and hotel chains around the world. However, there is a sloth in the outbound tourism following the attacks in Europe, instability on the Korean peninsula and political uncertainty in the United States prompting some Chinese to opt instead for domestic trips.
