Air China Limited has launched a new roundtrip route between Beijing and Manila, the capital city of the Philippines.

Li Huxiao, the deputy president of Air China, said that Manila is not only the capital and the largest city of the Philippines, but the economic, cultural and transportation center of this country with rich tourism resources, and that is why the airline has chosen Manila as its new destination. Beijing, the capital of China, has also attracted a number of tourists with its history and the modernization. Li commented that this route will certainly make active contributions to the economic and cultural exchanges of the two peoples.

Flights are scheduled to take off from Beijing at 20:00 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, and will return from Manila at 06:30 on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays.

According to the Philippine Department of Tourism, Chinese tourists made 160,000 visits to the Philippines in 2008. The Philippines is the fifth largest tourist source market for China, following Japan, South Korea, Russia, and the USA.