China’s largest airline is poised to establish its first nonstop service to Mexico, signaling the country’s growing importance as a gateway to the Americas for the world’s second-largest economy, reports Caixin. Guangzhou-based China Southern Airlines Co. Ltd. plans to start direct flights to Mexico City on April 17, a spokesperson for the state-owned airline said. The twice-weekly flights will depart from Shenzhen in southern China.
The more than 16-hour journey across the Pacific would be China’s longest flight—and at 14,147 kilometers (8,790 miles), one of the lengthiest regular routes on the planet. It is going ahead despite challenges of distance and terrain that make the return impossible without a stopover—a sign of how big a magnet Mexico has become to Chinese businesses seeking to sidestep tensions between Beijing and Washington.
Chinese suppliers to Tesla, are among companies that have set up factories in Mexico, with electric vehicle champion BYD expected to follow. China has meanwhile been shipping ever-greater amounts of goods to America’s southern neighbor, a trend that accelerated with the pandemic.