China has vowed to strengthen intercontinental connectivity and aviation transportation capabilities, aiming to build world-class aviation enterprises and air hubs by 2050.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) and the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), jointly issued guidelines on promoting the construction of international aviation hubs, which plan three stages of development goals for the construction.
The functional system of international aviation hubs will be basically established by 2025, and fully established by 2035, said the guidelines.
By 2050, a number of world-class aviation companies and world-class aviation hubs will be built, and the functional system of international aviation hubs will be further improved, supporting China's development into a first-class aviation power with strong safeguarding capabilities, public satisfaction, and competitiveness.
Meanwhile, the guidelines have also clearly defined the key tasks for promoting the construction of international hubs.
"Efforts will be made to enhance the intercontinental connectivity and global radiation capabilities of international aviation hubs such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, to improve domestic-to-international and international-to-international transit capabilities. The aim is to build core hubs that connect destinations nationwide and integrate the domestic air transport network with international air transport corridors," said Zhang Qing, director of the Development and Planning Department of the CAAC.
The guidelines also propose to accelerate the construction of international aviation hubs in cities such as Chengdu, Shenzhen, Kunming, Xi'an, Chongqing, Urumqi, and Harbin.
Combined with the functional definition of these cities, it aims to build an international route network with regional advantages.
China to build world-class aviation hubs, companies by 2050
The halt in Russian gas transit through Ukraine has heightened fears over supply shortages and soaring energy costs in Europe.
Both Ukraine and Russia announced the stoppage of Russian gas supplies through Ukraine's territory to Europe on Wednesday, pushing some EU countries to resort to costlier energy alternatives.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on Wednesday said that the halt will have "severe consequences for all of us in the European Union (EU), but will not harm Russia".
Fico said that Slovakia stands to lose hundreds of millions of euros in gas transit fees, while its citizens will face higher gas and electricity bills. He criticized major EU nations for prioritizing geopolitical goals at the expense of smaller countries' interests and needs.
On the same day, Slovakia's gas importer, SPP, announced that it has contingency plans in place to ensure gas supplies through alternative channels, such as utilizing pipelines from Germany and Hungary. However, this will incur additional transit fees.
Russian energy giant Gazprom said Wednesday that it has stopped gas supply for transit through Ukraine due to expiration of key agreements and the lack of renewal by the Ukrainian side.
The agreements, signed on Dec. 30, 2019, included a contract between Gazprom and Ukraine's national oil and gas company Naftogaz on the transportation of Russian gas through the Ukrainian territory, and a cooperation agreement between the operators of the two countries' gas transmission systems. These agreements officially expired at 08:00 Moscow time Wednesday, Gazprom said on Telegram.
Gazprom said Ukraine had repeatedly and unequivocally refused to extend these agreements, leaving the Russian company without the technical and legal means to continue gas transit through Ukraine.
Consequently, the supply of Russian gas through Ukrainian territory stopped at 08:00 Moscow time Wednesday, it added.
On the same day, Ukraine's Ministry of Energy reported that the transit of Russian natural gas through its gas transmission system was stopped at 07:00 Kyiv time Wednesday. The decision was made in the interest of national security, the ministry said, noting that Ukraine had informed its international partners about this in the prescribed manner.
Chinese analysts pointed out that Slovakia, being highly dependent on Russian gas transported via Ukraine, is the European country most affected by the supply halt.
"As the distance to alternative European gas pipelines is relatively far, Slovakia, heavily dependent on Russian gas transiting through Ukraine, is among the worst-hit countries. With the disruption of this route, Slovakia faces the greatest direct impact in terms of energy security and gas supply," said Cui Hongjian, professor at the Institute of Regional and Global Governance, Beijing Foreign Studies University.
Slovakia may need to spend an additional 500 million to one billion euros annually on gas imports, Cui said.
Cui further analyzed that some European countries had anticipated difficulties in sustaining gas cooperation between Ukraine and Russia and sought alternative solutions in advance. Hungary, for instance, is expected to rely more on gas supplies from the "TurkStream" and "South Stream" pipelines passing through Türkiye.
Cui noted that the search for alternative energy sources will intensify competition among European countries.
"Whether it's Slovakia or other European countries, the breakdown of natural gas cooperation with Russia forces them to seek alternatives. However, this process will further exacerbate competition among them. Over the past few days, the potential disruption of gas transit via Ukraine has already caused natural gas prices, as well as electricity prices, to continue rising across Europe," said Cui.
He said that European nations will have to bear the bruise of higher energy costs, at least for this winter.
Russian gas transit halt heightens fears over energy crisis in Europe
