Five additional carriers from each country will now be able to enter this potentially vast market. An upbeat Secretary Mineta stated: "This agreement opens new routes for travellers and new doors for American workers. Expanding aviation opportunities between the United States and China means more U.S. airlines, businesses and travellers can take advantage of growing trade between our two rapidly expanding economies."
Following the signing in Beijing, United Air Lines and Northwest Airlines can operate seven flights each per week between the United States and China. Northwest will operate a new daily flight from Detroit to Guangzhou - the first U.S.-carrier passenger service to that city - with a stopover in Tokyo. United commences a daily non-stop service ex. Chicago to Shanghai. Both airlines expect to commence operations in October.
The agreement, which is primarily designed to increase air freight traffic between the two countries, (China is USA's third largest trading partner after Canada and Mexico), will allow a total of 84 new weekly passenger flights for each country, of which 14 will be available for new passenger services from 1 August.
The new accord is just one of a number of groundbreaking China accords with western countries announced within the past few days. Shanghai-based China Eastern Airlines Corp., the country's second largest carrier has announced plans fly to London from April, pitting it against UK-based Virgin Atlantic. Air France has signed an agreement in Beijing with China Southern, one of China's leading airlines, to jointly operate Guangzhou-Paris flight services. Germany has a new air route opening this autumn to link Chongqing Municipality in southwest China and Dusseldorf and Dutch airline KLM is increasing its regular flight schedule to China.
One area of China intent upon profiting from a boom in tourism resulting from additional air traffic is the vast province of Xinjiang, once the communications hub of the ancient Silk Road trade route. The Road was opened up for Europeans by Marco Polo in the 13th century when he travelled the overland route to visit the Mongol Emperor Kublai Khan.
The classic overland Silk Road from X'ian in Xinjiang, linked China to Rome in classical times via Baghdad, Dishmash in the Levant and Constantinople, (present day Istanbul), until China's economic centre was moved to the south east at the time of the Tang dynasty, (AD 618-907) and the importance of Xinjiang and an overland Silk Road declined.
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