Foreign airlines expand routes in China as summer travel demand peaks

Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport in south China's Guangdong Province is at the center of a surge in summer travel demand, with foreign airlines introducing new routes to expand their footprint in China.

Among them, Emirates launched a daily direct route from Dubai on Tuesday (Flight EK328), making Shenzhen the fourth mainland Chinese city—after Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou—to host Emirates nonstop flights.

Passengers on the inaugural flight praised the route's convenience and shared their admiration for China as a travel destination.

"It's saving time, saving efforts, so we don't have to change flights or change transportation. It's an amazing country, we really love it. Once I came with my family and they love it as well, so I think this is a very good destination to be experienced by the Arab region," said a tourist from Jordan.

"We're delighted to open a new route to China for the first time in nearly a decade. With Emirates' global network, we not only connect to Dubai, but also to Europe, the Americas, Africa, and the Middle East," Li Xun, Emirates' China General Manager.

With outbound tourism gaining momentum and inbound tourism remaining strong, more international carriers are increasing flights to China. Shenzhen Airport reports that in addition to Emirates, Cambodia Angkor Air and Maldivian Airlines will also begin new Shenzhen routes in July. These additions are expected to bring the total number of international and regional passenger destinations served by the airport to over 50.

""With China's visa and tourism policies becoming more relaxed, and the introduction of new consumption and travel incentives, more and more foreigners want to visit China and like to go to Shenzhen. To improve the experience for inbound travelers, we've worked with customs and border inspection departments to optimize entry procedures. More foreign airlines are also in talks to launch new international routes to Shenzhen," Zhang Zhe, director of Market Development at Shenzhen Airport.

Foreign airlines expand routes in China as summer travel demand peaks

President of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Lee Jae Myung has expressed his hope that his upcoming visit to China will help eliminate past misunderstandings and issues, underscoring the importance of ties between the two countries.

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 an interview with China Media Group (CMG) in Seoul on Wednesday, Lee acknowledged the existing misunderstandings and issues between the two countries, noting that addressing these issues is a key goal of his visit.

"The current international landscape is turbulent, with escalating issues among various countries. In this context, the relationship between the Republic of Korea and China holds significant importance for us. the ROK and China are deeply interconnected in many areas, including history, economy, geopolitics, politics and security. Northeast Asia's peace, stability, mutual respect, and common prosperity are crucial for both countries," said Lee.

"Admittedly, there have been some misunderstandings and issues between the ROK and China, which have hindered the development of bilateral relations to some extent. Therefore, the purpose of my upcoming visit to China is to minimize or eliminate these past issues, foster a leap in our bilateral relations to a new level, and solidify the ROK and China as partners that mutually support each other's development," he said.

ROK President hopes to reduce misunderstandings with China during upcoming visit