About 200 Chinese and European Union top air traffic officials and CEOs on June 30 gathered at the Beijing Hotel to negotiate for more flights between them.

"Our aviation relations are becoming increasingly strategic: Growth forecasts suggest that EU-China air traffic will increase by around 7 percent per year over the next 15 years," said Jacques Barrot, vice president of the European Commission.

Barrot, also director-general for energy and transportation in the EU, told a EU-China Aviation Summit that the EU will discuss with China an aviation agreement which considers safety, security, environmental issues and the application of competition law besides opening-up markets and technological and industrial cooperation.

"There are about 1 million Chinese tourists that go to Europe every year and we hope to attract more Chinese direct flights to our airport instead of Frankfurt or others," said Herman Neukermans, vice president of strategy and marketing at the Brussels International Airport Company.

Chinese Vice Premier Huang Ju also agreed to cooperate.

"China's soaring aviation market contains great business opportunities and EU countries enjoy advanced technology and management and they are reciprocal....It accords our two sides' common interests to deepen and expand Sino-EU aviation cooperation. "

"China and EU should take a strategic point of view, enhance understanding, expand consensus and clear priorities to push Sino- EU aviation cooperation to a new high in a bid to promote exchange between the two peoples and promote Sino-EU economic and trade cooperation," Huang told the opening session of the two-day summit.

Source: Xinhua