CPPCC Member Zhao Dong: Focusing on Civil Aviation Development to Promote the Integration of Economy and Environment

Amid the vibrant atmosphere of this year’s National People’s Congress and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) sessions, Zhao Dong, member of the national committee of CPPCC, Chairman and Party secretary of Xiamen Airlines, actively engaged in the various agendas of the sessions with his profound insights into the civil aviation sector and in-depth considerations on cultural tourism and cross-strait integrated development.

Since assuming his duties, Zhao has always regarded the high-quality development of the civil aviation industry as his responsibility. This year, he has focused on the crucial issue of cross-strait integrated development. In recent years, the Party and the state have entrusted Fujian with the significant mission of exploring new pathways for cross-strait integration. Since its establishment, Xiamen Airlines has not only been a witness to exchanges in various fields across the strait but also a promoter and participant. From preparing for direct flights to opening numerous routes, recruiting flight attendants in Taiwan starting in 2017, and creating a national demonstration site for cross-strait youth employment and entrepreneurship in 2018, Xiamen Airlines has continuously deepened cross-strait exchanges and cooperation. According to its recruitment plan for Taiwan, the airline will continue to recruit professionals in cabin service, information technology, marketing, hotel management, and other fields in Taiwan to further enhance exchanges and integration among young people across the strait. Looking ahead, Xiamen Airlines has a clear and highly potential plan to support the construction of New Fujian. In terms of route expansion, the airline will leverage Xiamen’s geographical advantages to increase its layout in international routes, add more flights and destinations to Europe, America, and the Asia-Pacific region, and accelerate the development of the “Fujian-Taiwan Air Express” to further promote the efficient flow of personnel and materials across the strait.

As a typical representative of excellent traditional culture, Mazu culture has unique and important value in the field of cultural dissemination. It is not only widely spread along the coastal areas of China but also has reached many countries and regions overseas. Zhao Dong noted that this cultural dissemination, transcending geographical boundaries and national borders, has forged a deep emotional bond among overseas Chinese and become a spiritual link connecting Chinese people across the globe. To tell the Mazu story well and promote cultural inheritance, Xiamen Airlines has undertaken the transportation and security tasks for Mazu’s visits to Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and other places. It has also signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement with the People’s Government of Putian City to jointly expand the international influence of Mazu culture. In the future, Xiamen Airlines will continue to protect and promote Mazu culture through actions such as creating cultural theme flights, launching routes to cultural tourism destinations, and promoting the culture through its international route network, thereby deepening the sense of identity and belonging of overseas Chinese to their hometowns.

At present, the domestic cultural tourism consumption market is booming. In 2024, domestic tourists’ total consumption reached 5.75 trillion yuan, accounting for 11.8% of the total retail sales of consumer goods. Cultural tourism consumption has become an important engine for boosting domestic demand. Zhao Dong has keenly captured the huge potential of new cultural tourism in tapping into domestic demand. He believes that exploring new cultural tourism IPs, making good use of new carriers, and creating new experiences can make new cultural tourism “take off.” Including new cultural tourism in the “two new” policies and continuously optimizing the vacation system can encourage more people to “go out.” Meanwhile, allowing more foreigners to understand China and continuously improving the convenience of travel and life for foreigners can attract them to “come in,” injecting a continuous stream of new vitality into economic growth.

Xiamen Airlines is a staunch practitioner and industry pioneer of the sustainable development concept. Since becoming the world’s first airline to cooperate with the United Nations on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Xiamen Airlines has achieved remarkable results in multiple aspects of sustainable development, from energy conservation and emission reduction to green service innovation, from SDGs city exploration competition welfare activities to the construction of a green supply chain, contributing many valuable experiences and examples to the global civil aviation industry’s sustainable development. Zhao Dong is also highly focused on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). He suggests drawing on the successful transformation model of China’s green electricity industry to optimize the development mechanism of SAF, reduce dependence on imported crude oil, and achieve overtaking on a different track, building a “Chinese solution” for the green transformation of the aviation industry.

The year 2025 is a crucial juncture for the conclusion of the “14th Five-Year Plan” and the beginning of the “15th Five-Year Plan,” holding extraordinary significance. Facing the new journey, Zhao Dong is full of confidence. He firmly believes that with strong national policy support, the civil aviation industry will usher in broader development prospects. He looks forward to the industry’s continuous breakthroughs and innovations through the joint efforts of all parties, steadily advancing on the path of high-quality development and continuously opening up a broader new situation for development.