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US-China flight increase can help boost tourism, but will it heal bruised business and academic ties?
- The two sides agree to make air travel easier but negative feelings and espionage concerns in industry circles will be hard to overcome, observers say
- Restrictions in science and tech fields and American election politics also cast shadow over exchanges, according to analyst
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While the increase in passenger flights between the United States and China could help boost tourism, observers say the move is unlikely to mend the rift between the two rival nations in the academic and business worlds.
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Last week, the Biden administration announced that Washington and Beijing would double the number of passenger flights allowed to fly between the two countries.
The move came after China lifted its pandemic-era curbs on group tours to a host of countries including the US, Japan and Australia.
The number of weekly Chinese passenger flights permitted to fly to the US will increase from the current 12 to 18 starting on September 1. The number will rise to 24 in late October.
Bloomberg reported that the three largest US airlines – American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines – planned to more than double their flights to the mainland in the coming months.
Wang Yiwei, a professor of international relations at Renmin University in Beijing, said the development would be welcomed by tourists, international students and some investors.
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