Chinese airlines to increase weekly round-trip flights to U.S. to 50 from current 35, starting March 31

Chinese passenger airlines will be able to increase their weekly round-trip flights to the U.S. from the current 35 to 50, starting from March 31, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) said on Monday after frequent China-U.S. interactions.

The approval "is a significant step forward in further normalization of the U.S.-China market in anticipation of the Summer 2024 traffic season," the USDOT said.

The shift comes amid increased dialogue between Chinese and U.S. officials this year.

Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao met with U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai on the sidelines of the 13th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization in Abu Dhabi, on Monday. Wang and Tai engaged in "professional and in-depth" discussions on bilateral and multilateral economic and trade issues of mutual interest, according to the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM).

Wang expressed serious concerns over additional U.S. tariffs imposed on Chinese goods and other trade issues during the talk, MOFCOM said.

In another development, the chief executive of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Suzanne Clark, is leading a delegation of former U.S. government officials to Beijing this week, Reuters reported.

The group will meet with senior Chinese government officials and local business leaders, as well as American business executives and foreign diplomats, according to a representative of the chamber.

Earlier this month Chinese and U.S. officials held a third round of talks in Beijing as part of their Economic Working Group set up last year, adding to growing interactions since the beginning of 2024 between officials of the world's two biggest economies.

China's Ministry of Finance (MOF) said the two sides had in-depth, candid, pragmatic and constructive exchanges on the macroeconomic situation and policies, G20 financial cooperation, debt of developing countries, industrial policies and other issues.

During the meeting, the Chinese side expressed concerns about additional U.S. tariffs imposed on Chinese goods, restrictions against China on two-way investment, and sanctions that suppress Chinese enterprises, the MOF said, adding that the two sides agreed to continue talks.

The U.S. delegation indicated that U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen looked forward to a return visit to China at an "appropriate time," U.S. Department of the Treasury said.