China, EU to hold first summit on civil aviation

China and the European Union (EU) will hold their first ever summit on civil aviation from June 30 to July 1, according to a press conference held in Beijing on June 29.

Chinese Vice Premier Huang Ju will attend the opening ceremony of the summit, which is co-sponsored by the EU Commission and the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC). Vice-President of the EU Commission Jacques Barrot and CAAC Director General Yang Yuanyuan will chair the meeting.

The EU Commission delegation led by Barrot and the Chinese delegation headed by Yang Yuanyuan, each composed of 150 members, will take part in the summit.

At the two-day summit, the two sides will hold discussions on a wide range of topics such as future cooperation in civil aviation, aviation safety, and air traffic management.

"The summit is an excellent opportunity to bring together top-level policy makers and industry executives to identify priority areas for future cooperation." Barrot said.

He said China and the EU have conducted close exchanges and cooperation in civil aviation in recent years. Their total transport volume has increased by 20 times, with an annual growth rate of seven percent.

Source: Xinhua