Hainan Airlines Co Ltd, the fourth-largest carrier in China, launched on Monday its first direct flight from Beijing to San Jose, California, in the United States. The airline will operate four flights a week and will use the Boeing 787 dreamliner on the route.

The city of San Jose is located in Silicon Valley, which is home to global technology companies, such as Google, Facebook and Intel Corporation.

As part of the Chinese government's "Internet Plus" action plan, which was rolled out this year, it is hoped that there will be closer ties between the US and Chinese Internet industry.

This should mean that more business travelers from the online sector will use the route from Beijing to San Jose, said Mu Weigang, vice-president of Hainan Airlines.