Myanmar Airways International (MAI) has opened separate routes from Yangon and Mandalay to Hangzhou, in China’s Zhejiang Province. According to an article in the Myanmar Times, it is the latest in a long list of expanded connections between the two countries. In a statement, the airline said that the introduction of two new routes will allow it to play an important role in expanding tourism and trade between the two countries. “China will be a key market to us in 2019 as we tap into the ever-growing Chinese outbound market,” U Kyaw Han, Chief Operating Officer of MAI, was quoted as saying. MAI, which is part of the Kanbawza Group conglomerate, already operates flights to Bangkok and Singapore, as well as Kolkata in India, and China’s Guangzhou. Myanmar has recently relaxed visa rules for visitors carrying Chinese passports, leading to a rapid expansion in the number of visitors.