The seventh C919 jetliner joined the China Eastern Airlines fleet on Monday in Shanghai, indicating the acceleration of commercial operation of China's homegrown large passenger aircraft.
The plane, the third one delivered to China Eastern this year, landed at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport on Monday afternoon, following a short flight from Shanghai Pudong International Airport.
So far, the homemade aircraft fly on four regular commercial routes from Shanghai to Chengdu, Beijing, Xi'an and Guangzhou. With the delivery and introduction of new planes, the flights and routes will be extended further.
During the current summer travel rush, the load factor of C919 operated by China Eastern reached nearly 90 percent.
As of Sunday, the C919 fleet of the airline had completed 3,031 flights in total, with nearly 405,000 passenger trips handled.
The C919, China's first self-developed trunk jetliner, is designed to carry 158 to 192 passengers, with a range of 4,075 to 5,555 km, capable of performing medium-range route tasks. Developed by Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd., the plane conducted its successful maiden flight in 2017.
China Eastern Airlines gets 7th C919 aircraft
A potential trade deal between United States and China, the world's two largest economies, could benefit not only the two sides but also the global economy as a whole, said renowned British entrepreneur Martin Sorrell on Tuesday.
In an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) on the sideline of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Sorrell, the Founder and Executive Chairman of the digital advertising and marketing services provider S4 Capital, shared his perspective on the evolving global economic landscape.
He said that the world is facing slower economic growth and highlighted the U.S. and China as key players for driving global economic expansion.
"You look at the world in a different way. You focus on where the growth is. So where's the growth going to be? The U.S. is going to be strong. The U.S. economy, S and P 500 Earnings this year will be up 11 percent, that's the forecast; next year, 7 percent. That's the biggest determinant of advertising growth is corporate profitability be strong, so the U.S. will be strong. Asia, very strong. If you're big in China, like Apple or Tesla, or indeed LV, you want to be bigger; If you are small in China or underweight, you probably want to be bigger. So with that one caveat, China is obviously remains really important," said Sorrell.
Donald Trump, who was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States on Monday, has repeatedly vowed to implement additional tariffs on a broad range of trading partners, including China.
Noting that the combined GDP of the U.S. and China has reached 46 trillion U.S. dollars, accounting for over 40 percent of the global total of 106 trillion U.S. dollars, Sorrell suggested that Trump's business instincts could lead him to negotiate a trade deal with China, benefiting both countries and the global economy.
"The U.S. is 28 trillion [U.S. dollars]; China, 18 trillion out of 106 [trillion], so 46 [trillion], by far the biggest part of the world economy. I think Europe is about 18 [trillion] as a whole, but no individual countries like this. So that's the most important issue. There seems to be a bit of delay in relation in considering Chinese tariffs, may be going first on Canada and Mexico rather than China. So maybe we'll see, maybe there is the hope of a deal. And I hope there will be a deal, because I think it will be good for the world, and for obviously, for both economists, they would if it happens. President Trump wrote the book, the Art of the Deal, and he's a negotiator, and he wants to do the best financially for America, and financially for America maybe a deal with China in trade is the best thing," he said.
In terms of China's economic outlook, Sorrell said he expects the Chinese economy to strengthen, adding that he thinks China will shift its trade policy to focus more on the markets that take up nearly 60 percent of the global GDP.
"My view is that it is a multipolar world. And the Americans, I can say this as British, the Americans and indeed the British have got to understand that the plates are shifting, that the Global South, the BRICS, the Next 11 are becoming more important. I look forward to a world which will be not dominated by the West, the hegemonic West, or the U.S., but more balanced and more nuanced. And I think that's what we have to get used to. I expect the Chinese economy to strengthen. China was going to alter its trade policy to emphasize that 60 trillion that is outside China and the U.S. I said it was 46 [trillion]. the world is 106. So there's 60 trillion of GDP in Latin America, in Africa, in Europe, in Asia Pacific that China can develop," said Sorrell.
Potential China-US trade deal could benefit world economy: British entrepreneur