Amen to that. This is a niche flight, similar to SQ's attempt to go SIN JFK and vv with their A340-500's that carried, what, 250 punters. ?
The Chinese carriers are getting their collective acts together; if they can sort out the purgatory that going thru Chinese immigration, and the rolling goat f@ck that transitting Chinese airspace is, then CX with it's phenomenally high cost base ,to say nothing of it's f@cked up fuel hedging position, is toast. The company is flatlining as it is, what with the training ban etc. And the answer is highly unlikely to be to throw more money at it.