First flight of international tourists arrive in Hainan under seventh-freedom traffic right

A total of 115 Czech tourists landed in Sanya, a major city in south China's Hainan province, on Monday aboard a Kazakh flight, the Hainan Free Trade Port's first operational air service under the "seventh-freedom traffic right."

Flight DV481, operated by Kazakhstan's SCAT Airlines, left Sanya Phoenix International Airport on Sunday morning for Prague, the Czech Republic.

The return flight, DV482, arrived in Sanya on Monday, with the Czech passengers entering China smoothly.

"We would like to see this country and visit and enjoy the summer, because we have cold [weather], snow. So, this location will be the best," said a Czech tourist.

"There is a 30-day free-visa [policy] to Hainan for Czech people, so it's nice," said another tourist.

The Seventh-freedom traffic rights allow an airline to carry passengers or cargo solely between two foreign countries without any connection to the airline's home country.

"Sanya is a key city in the development of the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP). Prague, as a major European tourism and cultural hub, holds significant appeal. We hope the project will be successful, because it will help significantly facilitate the travel between the two countries," said Vladimir Andreevich Sytnik, vice-president of SCAT Airlines.

"The air service is a vivid embodiment of the Belt and Road Initiative. It enhanced the regional connectivity. Launching the air service under the 'seventh-freedom traffic rights' is just an initial effort with further expansion to be planned across China and other parts of the world," said Darkhan Katyshev, deputy chairman of the Civil Aviation Committee at Kazakhstan's Ministry of Transport.

As of now, Sanya has launched a total of 41 international air routes connecting 32 overseas destinations and will continue to roll out more airline services under the "seventh-freedom traffic right" and the "fifth-freedom traffic right."

"The pilot operation of the airline is a key step of the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) in building 'two hubs' and in constructing an international aviation and maritime transportation network after the region launched island-wide special customs operations," said Han Luhai, chairman of the Sanya Phoenix International Airport.

The "two hubs" refers to the international shipping hub for the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor and the aviation hub serving as a regional gateway to the Pacific and Indian oceans.

China on Thursday launched island-wide special customs operations in the Hainan FTP, the world's largest FTP by area, allowing freer entry of overseas goods, expanded zero-tariff coverage and more business-friendly measures.

First flight of international tourists arrive in Hainan under seventh-freedom traffic right

First flight of international tourists arrive in Hainan under seventh-freedom traffic right

First flight of international tourists arrive in Hainan under seventh-freedom traffic right

First flight of international tourists arrive in Hainan under seventh-freedom traffic right

The recent 2026 Zhongguancun Forum (ZGC Forum) Annual Conference in Beijing has impressed international guests with its focus on deeper integration of technological and industrial innovation, highlighting how China's innovative advances are reshaping daily life.

The five-day forum, themed "Full Integration Between Technological and Industrial Innovation," wrapped up in Chinese capital on Sunday after bringing together more than 1,000 participants from over 100 countries and regions around the world.

More than 560 cutting-edge achievements were unveiled at the event, ranging from embodied intelligent robots and brain-computer interfaces to breakthroughs in quantum applications and 6G research and development.

The venue for the forum also showcased a number of these innovative creations to visitors, who were able to enjoy a fresh cup of coffee prepared by a humanoid barista, as well as be throughly entertained by robots performing dances or even playing piano.

Given the presence of these advanced humanoid robots, international participants shared the common view that innovation is no longer confined to laboratories but is now permeating every aspect of daily life.

"The deepest impression is actually to see how much AI is across everywhere," said Anders Karlsson, vice president of Elsevier, a global leader providing advanced information and decision support to accelerate progress in science and healthcare worldwide.

"The Zhongguancun Forum has become a very international window on innovation. We can find out annually how innovation is driving [and a key] component of growth of this wonderful country," said Vincenzo Lipardi, president and co-founder of SPICI, an Italian company assisting businesses and startups with strategic consulting services.

"As a scientist and as a worker of the United Nations system, I'm really pleased to see integration of science, technology and sustainability," said Shahbaz Khan, director of the UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia.

One of the forum's key themes was around opening up and striving for greater cooperation, which demonstrated to the wider world that China's innovation aims to break down barriers and share opportunities, so as to enable the global community to advance together.

"It's my first time attending the forum. And I'm very surprised that you have a very high level of innovation. China is open to ideas. Openness is the way to make innovations," said Prof. Hussein Sherief, a member of the International Committee for Scientific and Technical Data (CODATA).

Int'l guests hail integration of technology, innovation at Beijing forum