China's first domestically developed commercial aircraft, the C919 jetliner, has entered a new phase of service as China Eastern Airlines on Wednesday launched daily flights between Shanghai and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR).
The C919 flight, MU721, took off from the Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport at 08:21, carrying 157 passengers to Hong Kong, where it arrived at 10:44, marking the start of regular services on this key route.
China Eastern Airlines, which has become the first airline to operate the C919 on commercial flights to Hong Kong, intends to maintain a daily schedule of round-trip flights with the jetliner.
Meanwhile, Shanghai immigration authorities have introduced a tailored clearance procedure, designed to streamline the inspection and clearance process for passengers traveling on the C919 flights.
"We've established a special lane for passengers flying on the C919. Also, we've dispatched experienced staff to strengthen on-site policy consultations and service guidance, and utilized fast lanes to divert passenger flows, ensuring a smoother clearance process," said Dong Jianguo, head of the border inspection division under the Hongqiao Border Inspection Station.
"I'm very excited to fly on our homegrown C919 on New Year's Day. The whole clearance process was very fast. I truly feel that our country is becoming stronger and stronger," said Huang, a passenger traveling to Hong Kong.
With the inaugural commercial flight between Shanghai and Hong Kong, the C919 jetliner has marked a significant milestone by expanding its reach beyond the Chinese mainland.
"I think first of all, this C919 flight between Shanghai and Hong Kong provides a sense of stability and reliability. It conveys confidence to the market and public. There's profound significance here. The Shanghai to Hong Kong flight is an important business route. With the C919 flying regularly now, this will enhance the recognition and acceptance by domestic and foreign airlines," said Qiao Shanxun, director at the Low-altitude Economic Development Research Center of the Henan Industry and Trade Vocational College.
Hong Kong is the ninth region to welcome China Eastern's C919 fleet.
Developed by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, or COMAC, the C919 is China's first self-developed jetliner in accordance with international airworthiness standards. As of the end of 2024, COMAC had delivered a total of 16 C919 aircraft to three Chinese operators.
As the first airline to purchase the C919 airliner, China Eastern has now ordered 105 additional aircraft and will soon have the largest C919 fleet in the world.
In addition, China Southern Airlines has five regular routes using the C919, linking cities like Guangzhou, Chengdu and Haikou, while Air China handles four routes between the cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and more.
The aircraft has carried out more than 1 million passenger trips since it was put into commercial operation in May 2023.
The company is also setting its eyes on the global market, with an office opened in Singapore this year. So far, it has received 1,400 orders globally.
China's C919 jetliner marks milestone with first commercial flight to Hong Kong
Foreign diplomats and scholars are looking closely at this year's "two sessions", saying China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) will not only chart the nation's economic and technological priorities but also reshape global value chains.
The fourth session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the nation's top political advisory body, opened on Wednesday, followed by the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC) on Thursday. Together known as the "two sessions," these meetings offer a comprehensive view into China's development priorities.
Global observers emphasized that the 15th Five-Year Plan, a blueprint guiding the nation's economic, social, and technological priorities over the next five years, marks a decisive shift toward high‑quality growth anchored in advanced technologies, with ripple effects across the world.
"The two sessions will discuss China's five-year plan, which is heavily oriented toward China's major technological development. I believe this is important because it represents the new blueprint for China's economy, which is now oriented toward the renowned high-quality development, and this will undoubtedly impact the entire world. I think it is worth studying. This is very important for Latin America. It will help us integrate more intelligently into global value chains and into all aspects of the major development that China is promoting in iconic industrial sectors, such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and space development, where Latin America also has much to contribute beyond just commercial growth," said Gustavo Sabino Vaca Narvaja, former Argentine Ambassador to China.
"The two sessions are a major political milestone in China, and this year's gathering carries even greater significance as this year marks the start of the 15th Five-Year Plan. This plan represents not only a blueprint for China, but also a guide for other countries. Instruments like the five-year plan effectively provide greater certainty and predictability for the rest of the world," said Chilean scholar of international relations Ignacio Araya Heredia.
"This is a particularly important date, especially due to the fact that the next Five-Year Plan shall be positioned and we're going to see what its main elements shall be. Serbia, which has a very high degree of steel friendship with the People's Republic of China, can expect further assistance in identifying the most prominent areas of Serbian economy and being helped by its great partner, such as it has been done in the previous period, from one part with establishing the main infrastructure projects, but also reshaping the industrial sector of Serbia, not just Serbia, but the region as a whole," said Veljko Mijuskovic, assistant professor of the Faculty of Economics of the University of Belgrade.
Beyond the policy framework, experts also pointed to China's achievements in green energy and technological innovation as models worth emulating.
Tomasz Bielinski, adjunct professor at the University of Gdansk's Faculty of Economics, said the robotics displays at the 2026 China Media Group (CMG) Spring Festival Gala reflected China's broader push in technological innovation.
"I was really impressed about the robotics. I'm very impressed with Chinese development in the technological field, we can still make great deals with Chinese businessmen and we can cooperate together to use this technology for both the good of China and the European Union. I'm aware of the innovation especially in autonomous drive on the on the Chinese side," he said.
"We hope for more of China's economic cooperation, especially in trade and also in investment. Also, and the other focus, if I talk about the focus of the development, don't forget about the green energy. We know that China is great in the electric vehicle field. So because China's electric vehicles in Indonesia nowadays, since couple of years ago, are very, very popular," said Al Busyra Basnur, president of the Indonesia-China Friendship Association.
Observers see China's new five-year plan driving high-quality development, global tech shifts
