On the evening of June 10, Ambassador Cui Tiankai attended gala reception celebrating Air China’s inaugural of non-stop service between Beijing and Washington, D.C.. Mayor Vincent Gary of Washington, D.C., Secretary of Commerce and Trade Maurice Jones of State of Virginia, Vice Chairwoman Wang Yinxiang of Air China Group, Minister Lu Kang and Minister Wu Xi of Chinese Embassy as well as more than 300 guests attended the reception.

In his remarks, Ambassador Cui expressed congratulations to the Air China’s inaugural of non-stop service between Beijing and Washington, D.C. , which brings the total routes served by Air China between China and US to six. Ambassador Cui noted that it took less than a year for Air China to double its services in the US, and the great inspiration and motivation behind this historic expansion is indeed the enthusiasm on both sides to further enhance China-US relations.

Ambassador Cui stressed that China-US relations have scored unprecedented and tremendous progress over the last 35 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations. He hoped that the new route would not only bring the capital cities of the two countries closer, but also further enhance mutual understanding, and bring people closer to great frontiers and opportunities that the future is presenting.

Both Mayor Gary and Secretary Jones said in their remarks that this non-stop service would further facilitate the exchanges and cooperation between Washington Metropolitan area and Beijing and the two countries at large.

On the afternoon of June 10, Ambassador Cui also attended the arrival ceremony for Air China’s inaugural flight CA 817 between Beijing and Washington, D.C. at Dulles International Airport.