Pope Francis sent a message of goodwill to China as his plane flew over the country en route to South Korea.
 
In a radio message, the pope extended his best wishes to Chinese President Xi Jinping and Chinese citizens, saying he invoked the “divine blessing of peace and well-being” on the nation.
  
The pontiff sent messages to all countries he flew over on his way to South Korea under Vatican protocol. 
 
Pope Francis's flight through Chinese airspace marks a minor but positive breakthrough in the relations between the Vatican and China. In 1989, China refused to allow Pope St. John Paul II's plane to cross its airspace as it traveled to Seoul.
 
The Vatican has no official diplomatic ties with the People's Republic of China, and while there are Catholics in the country, they are supervised through a government-controlled Catholic organization.