Xiamen Airlines to bring Fujian, Belt and Road economies closer

Xiamen Airlines will enhance air links with economies participating in the China-led Belt and Road Initiative and turn Fujian province into a strategic point on the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, which is part of the initiative, its chairman said.

"The five years that followed the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (in 2012) were the golden period for Xiamen Airlines," said Che Shanglun. "And in the next five years, we will focus more on the connectivity between Fujian and the economies involved in the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road."

Founded in 1984, Xiamen Airlines is China's first civil aviation company to be run like a modern corporation. By 2010, the company's registered capital soared from 1.2 billion yuan ($182 million) to 5 billion yuan in three years; and its entire assets were valued at over 30 billion yuan.