China and the European Union will
hold their first ever summit from June 30 to July 1 on future
cooperation in civil aviation, aviation safety and air traffic
management, it was announced at a press conference held in Beijing
on Wednesday.
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
summit.
Barrot and Yang each lead delegations of 150 members.
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 added that China and the EU have conducted close exchanges and
cooperation in civil aviation in recent years. Total transport
volume between the two sides has increased by 20 times, with an
annual growth rate of seven percent.
(Xinhua News Agency June 30, 2005)