Many, myself included, generally would prefer more direct and shorter flights, all else being equal. The comparison I was making is between similar nonstop flights between a Western carrier and a Chinese carrier. I've found on some of the routes I looked at, the fares on Chinese carriers were actually higher by a not-insignificant amount. I do agree with your second point that Chinese airlines put a lot of their long-haul planes to work on China-Europe routes. Some European carriers have cut back on those routes because they've become less competitive.