AIR SERVICES

China and Singapore will accelerate the resumption of direct flights between the two, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Friday after a meeting between the countries' ministers. Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who met with Singaporean counterpart Vivian Balakrishnan on Thursday, said both countries would closely cooperate through economic and trade, cultural and tourism exchanges. The two nations will also prepare for a bilateral cooperation mechanism meeting to be held at the level of vice-prime ministers this year, the statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The famous tourist destination of Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province, resumed its passenger flights to Sydney, Australia last week. The flights are operated by China Eastern Airlines, according to the company's branch in Shaanxi. The service, which first stops in Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei province, is operated every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday by an Airbus A330 widebody aircraft. The return flight takes place every Monday, Thursday and Saturday. China Eastern Airlines launched the air route from Xi'an to Sydney in 2017.

South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region recently resumed seven international passenger flights to destinations including Bangkok, Phnom Penh, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. It plans to speed up the resumption of such air services to other destinations across members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in the near future, said Guangxi Airport Group. In the run-up to the 20th China-ASEAN Expo, scheduled to be held in Guangxi in September, the local airport in the regional capital Nanning recently announced that it will resume passenger flights to the capital cities of other ASEAN countries.

Beijing Daxing International Airport announced a new air route between the Chinese capital Beijing and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia on Aug 4. The flights of Saudi Arabian Airlines, also known as Saudia, are operated by Boeing 787-9 aircraft every Monday and Friday, according to Daxing airport's summer and autumn flight schedule. Saudia also opened a route between Beijing and the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh, on Aug 6, the airport said.

RAILWAY TRIPS

The number of passenger trips operated by China's railways soared by 124.9 percent year-on-year during the first half of this year, data from the Ministry of Transport showed. More than 1.77 billion passenger trips were made via China's railways during this period, according to the ministry. A total of 2.66 billion passenger trips were made via China's urban transit networks in 54 cities in July, representing a monthly increase of 9.2 percent, according to the ministry.

GREAT WALL

The China Great Wall Museum began seeking cultural relics from home and abroad in late July in a move to promote the research, collection and protection of the cultural heritage of the Great Wall. Cultural relics include objects, photographs, documents and construction tools that reflect the construction and development of the Great Wall during various periods of Chinese history.

GRAND OPENING

Fairfield by Marriott Beijing Daxing Airport opened its doors at the end of July. Situated in the Beijing Daxing International Airport Economic Zone, the new hotel is just 0.8 kilometers away from the airport and has easy access to attractions including Beijing Wildlife Park, China Printing Museum and a shopping street. It has 149 guest rooms, each equipped with a 55-inch LED TV, high-speed Wi-Fi and other modern amenities.