From December 10 to 14, 2017, CAAC’s Deputy Administrator Li Jian visited the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in Washington and the Boeing Company in Seattle with a delegation. During his visit to FAA, Li Jian met with FAA’s Associate Administrator Ali Bahrami. The two sides spoke highly of their bilateral relationship in recent years, and exchanged views upon strengthening aviation safety ties and cooperation in multiple fields and expanding bilateral airworthiness relations, especially upon the cooperation mechanism and advancement of aviation products airworthiness certification specified in the recently signed Implementation Procedures for Airworthiness. The Minutes of Cooperation was also signed at the meeting. During his visit to the Boeing Company, Li Jian met with Kevin McAllister, President & CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. They both expressed satisfaction about the safe operation and management of Boeing airplanes in China, and discussed matters related to airworthiness recognition & examination of Boeing airplanes and establishment of communication mechanism in various aspects in the future.

China and U.S. Implementation Procedures for Airworthiness (IPA) officially came into effect on October 17, 2017. According to the agreement, comprehensive and equal mutual recognition of civil aviation products between the two countries will be realized, covering cooperation in design approval, production oversight, airworthiness approval for exports, and activities and technical support following the designs being approved. The signing of the agreement laid a foundation for in-depth and more extensive cooperation between the two authorities, and created a good bilateral environment for exchanges of civil aviation products and cooperation of industrial sectors of the two countries.