On December 15, at the invitation of U.S. ambassador to China Terry Branstad, CAAC Administrator Feng Zhenglin attended the China-U.S. Aviation Cooperation Program Reception hosted by the ambassador at his official residence. According to Feng Zhenglin, civil aviation cooperation, as an important component in China-U.S. relations, presents both sides with huge potentials and a bright future. Therefore, the two sides should work together to create a new era featuring more mutually beneficial, more inclusive and more forward-looking win-win China-U.S. relations in the field of civil aviation. Also present at the reception were CAAC Deputy Administrator Wang Zhiqing and representatives in the civil aviation industry from both sides.

Feng Zhenglin said, building an open, win-win and mutually beneficial cooperative relationship is the main theme guiding the development of China-U.S. relations in the field of civil aviation. In October 2017, civil aviation authorities from China and the U.S. signed the new Implementation Procedures for Airworthiness, laying a foundation for a deeper and more extensive cooperation in civil aviation between the two countries, and also creating a more favorable environment for the exchange of civil aviation products and the cooperation in aeronautic industry. Under the China-U.S. Aviation Cooperation Program (ACP), over 40 cooperation projects have already been carried out, setting examples for the China-U.S. cooperation in civil aviation and serving as a bridge connecting both sides.

According to Feng, China civil aviation will as always stick to the concept of seeking development while opening to the outside world. With the deepening of China-U.S. relations, there are more frequent exchanges between the two peoples. It’s our hope that both sides hold a new round of aviation talks at the earliest time possible, to further expand air traffic rights arrangement and contribute more to the economic, trade, and culture exchanges.

Branstad said that civil aviation industry plays an important role in promoting China-U.S. economic and tourism development and achieving more interactions between the two peoples. In recent years, China maintained rapid development in civil aviation while keeping a good safety record. On December 13, ACP launched its Shanghai area airspace and ground optimization project, which is a new achievement in China-U.S. bilateral cooperation. The two sides should conduct closer cooperation on the basis of mutual trust.

Currently, airlines from China and the U.S. operate a weekly total of 693 flights on the passenger and cargo air routes between the two countries, connecting 19 cities in China and 22 cities in the United States, which include 240 passenger flights and 147 cargo flights operated by 10 airlines from China and 158 passenger flights and 148 cargo flights operated by 9 airlines from the U.S.