China's Xi'an opens first direct flight to Milan

Northwest China's ancient city of Xi'an on Thursday opened its first direct flight to Milan, Italy to enhance personnel and economic exchanges between the two cities.

The new route offers round-trip flights on every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. The outbound flight departs at 14:40 Beijing time and is expected to arrive at Malpensa Airport in Milan at 19:30 local time. The return flight departs at 21:30 local time and arrives at Xi 'an Xianyang International Airport at 14:00 Beijing time.

The flight is operated by the Airbus A330 wide-body aircraft, which is known for its spacious cabin, comfortable seats and excellent fuel efficiency. Meanwhile, passengers can connect to Wi-Fi network during the flight.

"The flight is able to connect to the Internet after taking off and stay connected throughout the flight. During the 11 hours on board, whether for work, entertainment, or sharing moments with family, it is very convenient, providing passengers with a highly comfortable travel experience," said Ren Xiang, senior deputy manager of the Market Development Division 2 of Sales and Marketing Department of China Eastern Airlines Northwest Branch.

China Eastern Airlines has launched 83 routes from Xi'an Xianyang International Airport, including 12 international and 71 domestic destinations. The total number of flights has surpassed the 2019 level by 3.5 percent.

With the new route opened, China Eastern Airlines has established four routes between China and Italy, including Shanghai to Venice, Shanghai to Rome, and Wenzhou to Rome. The opening of the Xi'an-Milan route marks the second long-haul intercontinental direct route from Xi'an Xianyang International Airport this year, following the launch of the Xi'an-Budapest route.

"In the early stage, we fully laid out the route from Xi'an to Budapest in Eastern Europe, and now we have opened the route from Xi'an to Milan in Western Europe, which will fully enrich our route network in Europe. The airport in Xi'an will continue to spread from Xi 'an to the west, to Central and Western Asia, Central and Eastern Europe and Western Europe in the future, to enrich the travel of local people and serve the local economic development, and make more contributions," said Zhang Xuan, vice general manager of the marketing department of Xi'an Xianyang International Airport.

China's Xi'an opens first direct flight to Milan

President of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Lee Jae Myung said on Wednesday that his country and China can build a mutually beneficial relationship amidst competitions.

At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Lee will pay a state visit to China from Jan 4 to 7. It will be Lee's first visit to China since he took office in June 2025.

In an interview with the China Media Group (CMG) in Seoul, capital of the ROK, on Wednesday, Lee said that the ROK and China both place great importance on the development of high-tech fields, and this inevitably creates competitions between the two countries, but will also presents ample cooperation opportunities for both sides.

"To my knowledge, the Chinese government has made tremendous efforts in high-tech investment, research and development investment, and the talent cultivation in the field of basic research, just as the ROK has done. From this perspective, the ROK and China share similarities in economic growth strategies, which certainly creates competitions between the two countries, but it also presents broad cooperation opportunities for both sides. I believe that if we can explore areas for cooperation amid competitions and enhance our respective strengths through cooperation, we can build a mutually beneficial relationship that not only supports China's sustainable development strategy but also promotes ROK's growth strategy," Lee said.

ROK president eyes mutually beneficial relationship with China amid competitions