PR Newswire | 03 Dec, 2015
BEIJING, Dec. 3, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- On December 1, CA867, the "Forum on China-Africa Cooperation" theme flight jointly launched by Air China, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and South Africa's Standard Bank took off from Beijing Capital International Airport and, at 07:55am on December 2, it landed at OR Tambo International Airport in South Africa.
The theme flight is intended to publicize the upcoming "Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation". Air China, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and South Africa's Standard Bank are important players promoting the China-Africa economic and trade cooperation. On the flight, passengers received the "500 Questions & Answers on China, Africa and China-Africa Relations", listened to a brief lecture on the Forum, participated in a quiz and had the chance to win wonderful gifts like Air China's aircraft models.
The Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation will take place in South Africa from December 4 to December 5, the second time it will be held after its Beijing debut 2006 and also the first time it will be held in Africa. It represents a milestone in the future development of the relations between China and Africa. For the purposes of "consultation on an equal footing, better mutual understanding, expanded consensus, deeper friendship and closer cooperation", the Forum, with China and 50 African countries which have established diplomatic relations with China as participants, has played an instrumental role in promoting the political, economic, social and cultural cooperation between the two parts of the world.
On October 29 and November 2, respectively, Air China started two nonstop routes to Africa: Beijing-Johannesburg and Beijing-Addis Ababa. The two new routes will not only promote the traditional friendship between China and Africa, meeting the ever increasing market demand for air travel, but also reflect Air China's response to the Chinese government's "One Belt, One Road" initiative. They will bring Asia and Africa closer, provide an air transportation guarantee for Chinese companies looking to make investments in Africa, offer an easier travel option for travelers from the Asia-Pacific countries like Japan, South Korea and Singapore ready to explore the mysterious continent of Africa and provide travelers of South Africa and neighboring countries with an easier access to China and neighboring countries for business and cultural exchanges.
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