China-UK Airport City Manchester receives increasing Chinese passengers

China and the UK have made progress on their Airport City Manchester joint project, part of the effort to connect China's "Belt and Road" Initiative and Britain's "Northern Powerhouse" proposal.

Earlier, Hainan Airlines opened a direct flight between Beijing and Manchester under the same framework.

The direct flight officially began operation last June. It is the only direct link between the Chinese mainland and a UK city other than London.

It is also part of Hainan Airlines' effort to respond to the "Belt and Road" Initiative.

A file photo shows a Hainan Airlines plane arriving in Manchester, UK. [Photo: caacnews.com.cn]

Starting July 1st, the service will be increased from four times a week to seven times a week.

Passengers say the direct flight between the two cities has greatly facilitated travel.

"It's very convenient. In the past when my parents came here, they had to transfer in Brussels. It's very inconvenient, especially for my parents who can't speak English," said a Chinese passenger.

The airport city project in Manchester was jointly developed by Beijing Construction Engineering Group and local enterprises.

With an investment of 800 million pounds, it will cover about 460,000 square meters, making it the largest urban renovation project after the Olympic Games in London.

It is also the first project implemented after China and UK signed a memorandum of understanding on infrastructure cooperation.

John McHugh, marketing director of real estate strategy with the airport, said he expects the project to create 16,000 new jobs and add up to a billion pounds worth of further economic growth.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (C, L) visited the Airport City Manchester project in the UK on October 23, 2015. [Photo: Xinhua]

In 2015, as Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Britain, the two countries vowed to cooperate on each other's major initiatives, namely China's "Belt and Road" Initiative and Britain's National Infrastructure Plan and Northern Powerhouse.

The Northern Powerhouse proposal aims to revive the old industrial cities in the northern part of the country, such as Manchester and Liverpool.

According to Nathalie Cachet-Gaujard with the China-Britain Business Council, the proposal emphasizes increasing employment, attracting investment, and boosting infrastructure construction, which also fall under the "Belt and Road" Initiative.