Air China will launch a new route from Beijing to Panama City, via Houston, on April 5th.

The new route is expected to greatly facilitate exchanges between both countries as well as neighbouring regions, while providing passengers with a greater range of options.

In June 2017, China and Panama signed a joint communique on the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two.

This formal establishment of diplomatic relations carries forth a relationship that dates back more than 160 years into a new era.

It did, however, see Panama end ties with Taiwan.

China is Panama’s second largest trading partner and the second largest user of the Panama Canal, while Panama is China’s largest trading partner in Central America.

In 2017, bilateral trade amounted to nearly US $6.7 billion, while two-way passenger traffic totalled nearly 40,000, growing at an annual rate of almost 30 per cent.

Best known for the Panama Canal, Panama City is a historic port city straddled between lush mountains and the Pacific Ocean.

In recent years, Air China has been working to develop Beijing into a major airport hub with a truly global reach.

Air China’s route network already spans all six inhabited continents, and the launch of the Beijing-Houston-Panama City route marks an important milestone in its efforts to expand coverage in the Americas.

Air China currently operates over 200 weekly flights to 12 destinations in the Americas, including New York (Newark Airport and JFK Airport), Washington, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, Hawaii, Vancouver, Montreal, Havana and Sao Paulo.