Flight ET 684 of Ethiopian Airlines taxies on the runway of Pudong International Airport in east China's Shanghai Municiplaity, March 30, 2014. The landing of the plane here on Sunday marks the opening of the first direct flight between Shanghai and Africa. (Xinhua/Chen Fei)

ADDIS ABABA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia's national air carrier Ethiopian Airlines (ET) will commence flights to the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen in June 2018, an Ethiopian official said on Wednesday.

Speaking to Xinhua, Tewolde Gebremariam, CEO of ET, said the latest destination makes business sense with China being an important market for the airlines.Photo taken on June 24, 2016 shows the science and technology park in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province. As one of China's first special economic zones, Shenzhen has evolved from a tiny fishing village into a vast metropolis. It is also a high-tech hub in China. (Xinhua/Mao Siqian)

Shenzhen, in China's Guangdong Province, is home to internationally known high-tech companies including Huawei and ZTE.

Ethiopian Airlines currently has five destinations in China, being Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Chengdu and Guangzhou.

Ethiopian Airlines became the first African carrier and the fourth in the world to fly to China back in 1973.