San Francisco, Oct. 29, (People's Daily Online) - China Southern Airlines will start to launch nonstop service on December 16 this year between San Francisco and Guangdong Province.

"San Francisco is pleased to welcome China Southern Airlines, and we are more than confident that this flight will be highly successful based on the strong commerce and cultural ties between Guangdong Province and our Bay Area region," San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee said in a statement.

Mayor Lee also traces his roots to Taishan, a city in south China's Guangdong province. He said that about 80 percent of Chinese Americans' roots are in Guangdong. He said the new flights by China Southern Airlines will strengthen the relationship between the people of the Bay Area and the people of Guangdong.

China Southern Airlines will operate three nonstop flights per week to Wuhan on Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. Return flights will end at SFO via Wuhan.

SFO airport director John Martin said the new service establishes SFO as the premier U.S. gateway to China.

SFO previously served Wuhan via China Eastern Airlines, but flights stopped in Shanghai before continuing to Wuhan.