UN exec: Beijing now seen as leader

When Taleb Rifai of Jordan boarded a plane at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to fly to Beijing for the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, he could not help but notice that everything was in three languages: French, English and Chinese.

"That would be unthinkable just a decade ago," said Rifai, 68, secretary-general of the United Nations' World Tourism Organization since 2010. He spoke to a small number of journalists on Monday afternoon at the China National Tourism Administration's headquarters.

"The world is open to you, respecting you and expecting your leadership," said Rifai. "My children and grandchildren want to speak Chinese, because they know that's where the future is."