China, Saudi Arabia ink air transport deal

China and Saudi Arabia signed the civil air transport agreement last July 23 as part of President Hu Jintao’s direction to develop a bilateral relationship with the Middle East country during his visit last April. Minister Yang Yuanyuan of the Civil Aviation Administration of China and Abdullah Ruhaimy, president of the General Authority for Civil Aviation under the Ministry of Defense and Aviation of Saudi Arabia, signed the agreement. The agreement will facilitate bilateral freight traffic and economic cooperation between the two countries. Last April, China Southern Airlines opened the Urumqi-Sharjah-Jeddah air route with three flights per week. This July, Saudi Arabian Airlines opened Jeddah-Shanghai-Bangkok-Riyadh, Riyadh-Shanghai-Bangkok-Riyadh, and Riyadh-Guangzhou-Bangkok-Riyadh scheduled flights.