After resuming flights from Beijing to Kuwait via Karachi on August 14, Air China will officially open flights from Beijing to Kuala Lumpur on September 25.

The Kuwait route was suspended on March 27 due to the Iraqi war. Now it will operate as a weekly flight. The Kuala Lumpur flights will be three times per week.

Statistics indicated that Malaysia has surpassed Singapore as China's biggest trade partner in ASEAN countries. Bilateral tourism exchanges also developed rapidly, with the number of visitors arrivals exceeding 450,000 to each country.

Experts said the Kuala Lumpur route will help establish a hub with Beijing in the center, covering major southeast Asian nations.

(Xinhua News Agency 27, 2003)