Pittsburgh celebrates first charter flight

Despite China-US trade friction, Pittsburgh is seeking stronger ties with China as it welcomed 316 Chinese visitors who arrived on the first direct charter flight from Shanghai to Pittsburgh International Airport on Friday.

Rich Fitzgerald, executive of Allegheny County, where Pittsburgh is the county seat, described it as "historic" for Pittsburgh to be the first medium-sized city in the United States to host a tourism charter flight.

"This is a fantastic opportunity for our region," he said. "We know how important the market is. For Americans, China is such a growing market.