The first direct air cargo route shuttling between northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Ethiopia was officially launched on Friday.
Early on Friday morning, a Boeing 777 freighter from Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia, arrived at Urumqi Tianshan International Airport, and then departed Urumqi for Addis Ababa with a load of 104.8 tons of goods from south China's Guangzhou City.
The new link, operated by Ethiopian Airlines, will have two round flights a week. It promises seamlessly connection of Xinjiang's exporters with African and global logistics networks, while bringing quality beef, lamb, coffee, and horticultural products directly to Chinese consumers.
Customs authorities have offered streamlined procedures, including direct sorting and distribution upon arrival, to enhance logistics efficiency.
This route marks the eighth international cargo route launched from Urumqi this year, following seven new connections to cities including Istanbul, Islamabad, Belgrade, and Rzeszow.
The Urumqi land port now boasts 28 cargo flight routes to 18 countries and regions. Since the beginning of this year, the port has handled 2,400 flights, up by more than 600 percent.
Xinjiang opens first direct cargo flight to Africa
Officials from the European Union (EU) and Finland have voiced concerns after the White House said it has been discussing "a range of options" to acquire Greenland, including the use of the military.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told a press briefing in Cairo on Thursday that the message from the U.S. is "extremely concerning," and "not really helping the stability of the world."
Kallas called on all parties to stick to international law, adding that relevant response measures has been discussed among EU members.
"The international law is very clear, and we have to stick to it. It is clear that it is the only thing that protects smaller countries, and that is why it is in the interest of all of us. And we discussed this today, as well, that we uphold the international law on all levels," she said.
Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen on Thursday described recent remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump and members of his administration on Greenland as "worrying," while reiterating Finland's support for Denmark and Greenland's right to self-determination.
"Finland and the other Nordic countries have exceptional expertise in Arctic conditions, and we are happy to make use of that together with our North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies to strengthen Arctic security, but it cannot be done by threatening allies," she said at a press conference at Finnish parliament after an extraordinary meeting of the parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee.
Johannes Koskinen, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said it was "unprecedented" for threats of violence to be made within NATO against another member in connection with seizing territory, adding that such threats run counter to the United Nations Charter and that their inconsistency with international law should be underscored at all levels.
EU, Finnish officials express concerns over US remarks on Greenland
