"We will allow and encourage market forces to play a bigger role, and the central bank will reduce its intervention in the market in an orderly manner."

Zhou Xiaochuan, governor of the People's Bank of China, the central bank, saying that China is allowing market forces to have a bigger sway over the yuan as it nears its fair value.

"It is hard to attract a really large number of Chinese tourists unless significant progress is made in visa applications, tourism products and travel safety on the US side."

Jiang Yiyi, director of China Tourism Academy's International Tourism Development Institute, saying that compared with other countries and regions in Europe and Asia, the number of visits to the US by Chinese tourists has not been as fast as it should be, largely due to existing tourism barriers.

(China Daily 03/16/2012 page14)