China's Xi'an opens first direct flight to Milan

Northwest China's ancient city of Xi'an on Thursday opened its first direct flight to Milan, Italy to enhance personnel and economic exchanges between the two cities.

The new route offers round-trip flights on every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. The outbound flight departs at 14:40 Beijing time and is expected to arrive at Malpensa Airport in Milan at 19:30 local time. The return flight departs at 21:30 local time and arrives at Xi 'an Xianyang International Airport at 14:00 Beijing time.

The flight is operated by the Airbus A330 wide-body aircraft, which is known for its spacious cabin, comfortable seats and excellent fuel efficiency. Meanwhile, passengers can connect to Wi-Fi network during the flight.

"The flight is able to connect to the Internet after taking off and stay connected throughout the flight. During the 11 hours on board, whether for work, entertainment, or sharing moments with family, it is very convenient, providing passengers with a highly comfortable travel experience," said Ren Xiang, senior deputy manager of the Market Development Division 2 of Sales and Marketing Department of China Eastern Airlines Northwest Branch.

China Eastern Airlines has launched 83 routes from Xi'an Xianyang International Airport, including 12 international and 71 domestic destinations. The total number of flights has surpassed the 2019 level by 3.5 percent.

With the new route opened, China Eastern Airlines has established four routes between China and Italy, including Shanghai to Venice, Shanghai to Rome, and Wenzhou to Rome. The opening of the Xi'an-Milan route marks the second long-haul intercontinental direct route from Xi'an Xianyang International Airport this year, following the launch of the Xi'an-Budapest route.

"In the early stage, we fully laid out the route from Xi'an to Budapest in Eastern Europe, and now we have opened the route from Xi'an to Milan in Western Europe, which will fully enrich our route network in Europe. The airport in Xi'an will continue to spread from Xi 'an to the west, to Central and Western Asia, Central and Eastern Europe and Western Europe in the future, to enrich the travel of local people and serve the local economic development, and make more contributions," said Zhang Xuan, vice general manager of the marketing department of Xi'an Xianyang International Airport.

China's Xi'an opens first direct flight to Milan

The BRICS countries should contribute to the promotion of an equal and orderly multi-polar world and economic globalization that benefit all, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Thursday.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during a meeting of foreign ministers of BRICS countries.

Common security must be advocated to achieve lasting peace, Wang said. No country has the right to control the global security agenda, let alone to build its own security over the insecurity of others, he added.

Wang said the BRICS countries must give priority to development and solve development problems, focus on the urgent needs of developing countries in poverty reduction, development financing, energy and food security, and seize the opportunities of technological revolution and industrial transformation.

The BRICS countries should practice multilateralism and improve global governance, support the full participation of the Global South countries in international economic decision-making, governance and rules-making, and enhance their voice and representation.

On the same day, Wang called for continuously increasing representation and voice of developing countries during a meeting among the Committee of Ten (C10) Heads of State and Government on UN Security Council Reform and foreign ministers of five UN Security Council permanent members,

He said it is necessary to anchor the reform path that gives priority to special arrangements for Africa.

BRICS should contribute to multi-polar world: Chinese FM