Basil, that link refers to "up to 6 departure points in the UK and China".
Are those departure points specified, and if not is it a total of 6 between the 2 countries i.e. could it be 5 in China and only 1 in the UK. Or does it mean 6 in each country?
The other thing that struck me is that it includes cargo carriers. That could imply that MAN is reliant on both passenger and cargo operators not wanting more flights into London before a MAN service is considered.
Perhaps someone has the stats for how many flights China currently has out of the 31 quota until a new agreement is reached, with and without the LGW flights continuing.
It has been argued by some that there is nothing to stop services to MAN starting under the present arrangement as Basil is trying to clarify. If that is the case, doesn't it suggest that Chinese carriers are more prepared to wait for suitable slots at LHR rather than take a risk on MAN?
The last point is how would Hainan fit into this arrangement as they don't appear at present to be one of the registered Chinese carriers?