Work Plan of Henan for Building Zhengzhou-Luxembourg Air Silk Road

On 12 September 2017, the Henan Provincial Government announced plans to transform the Zhengzhou-Luxembourg Air Silk Road into one of the Belt and Road Initiative’s (BRI) signature projects. With the aim of enhancing co-operation between the central Chinese province of Henan and Luxembourg, one of Europe’s smallest and richest nations, it is hoped that the two will work closely together across a number of sectors, including air and multi-modal transportation, economic development, international trade, manufacturing, and financial services, as well as on future cultural and educational exchanges.

According to the timeline laid out in the plan, during the period 2017-18, a number of direct inter-continental passenger routes will open between Luxembourg and Zhengzhou, the provincial capital of Henan. This is set to coincide with several other developments, including the launch of Henan Cargo Airlines, a joint venture between Cargolux, a Luxembourg-based freight airline, and the Henan Civil Aviation Development and Investment Co (HNCA). Among the other projects scheduled to go live during this period are a dedicated Luxembourg visa centre, a specialist pharmaceutical entry port, a programme of comprehensive financial cooperation and a series of tourism and cultural exchanges.

At present, it is anticipated that the Zhengzhou-Luxembourg Air Silk Road will be completed by 2020. Once it becomes operational, this is expected to give an additional boost to cooperation across a variety of sectors, including the expansion of the air route network, the further development of the joint-venture airline business, the formation of several niche industry clusters, a series of refinements to the multi-modal transportation system and an expanded programme of tourism and cultural exchanges.

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