GHP lauds nonstop service to Beijing

by Brian Lester | January 22, 2013 5:26 am

The Greater Houston Partnership and the city of Houston and the Houston Airport System are pleased to welcome a new nonstop passenger flight from Beijing to Houston.

Service is expected to begin in July.

"GHP celebrates the very strong business and cultural ties that exist between our area and China," said Bob Harvey, president and CEO of GHP, in a press release. "With the addition of nonstop air passenger service from Houston to Beijing, it will open more avenues to aggressively explore trade and investment opportunities for our corporate community."

More than 840 companies in Houston have business or trade ties to China.

"Since I first came into office, having a direct flight between Houston and Beijing has been a foremost priority," Houston Mayor Annise Parker stated in a release. "After traveling there twice to personally convey Houston's commitment, today we see our hard work and dedication has paid off."

In 2011, the annual trade between Houston and China grew 30.8 percent from $9.1 billion in 2010 to $11.9 billion. The total annual air cargo trade increased 10.5 percent to 13.0 million kilograms and was valued at $882.9 million.

"The Houston Airport System has a long history with the aviation community in China, but this new partnership is exceptional," Mario Diaz, the director of the Houston Airport System, stated in a release. "With the arrival of Air China, the City of Houston will stand as the sole provider of non-stop air service to mainland China for the entire central and southern regions of the United States."

GHP has signed 15 memorandums of understanding with governmental and business entities, including two Chinese provinces and nine cities.

In 2012, many Chinese companies GHP worked with opened new offices or expanded their operations in Houston, including Sinopec and China National Petroleum Corporation.

Companies that opened offices in Houston last year were China National Offshore Oil, Yan Tai Jereh Group and Shanghai SK Petroleum Equipment.

The GHP is the primary business advocate for the 10-county Houston region. It estimates it will recruit 600,000 regional jobs, attract $60 billion in capital investment and expand foreign trade by $120 billion by the end of 2015.

For more information, visit www.houston.org.