Leaders of U.S.-China Aviation Cooperation Program Meet to Discuss Future Collaboration

(USTDA) ARLINGTON, VA. – Last week, senior leaders of the U.S. Trade & Development Agency (USTDA), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), and the U.S. civil aviation industry met to discuss ongoing and future collaboration under the U.S.-China Aviation Cooperation Program (ACP). The ACP is a public-private partnership that provides opportunities for the U.S. and Chinese governments to collaborate with each other and with the U.S. private sector, in order to craft mutually beneficial projects that will support the continued growth of the aviation industry.

“The ACP thanks our partners for participating in today’s meeting,” said ACP Co-Chair and President of Boeing China, Ian Thomas. “The inclusion of government and industry partners in robust discussions like these has been critical to the ACP’s success over the past ten years.”

“The U.S. Trade and Development Agency was pleased to host our ACP colleagues for this important meeting,” said USTDA Director Leocadia I. Zak. “We discussed how to build upon our history of connecting the U.S. aviation industry to China’s rapidly expanding market.”

“We have a shared mission of safety, one that is challenged by an aerospace industry that is changing faster than ever and is growing more complex and globally interconnected,” said Administrator Michael Huerta of the FAA. “As a result, efforts to balance safety and efficiency require new commitments, new ideas, and new ways of fulfilling our mission.”

“We were pleased to join this fruitful discussion about the next priorities for our cooperation,” said Deputy Administrator Wang Zhiqing of CAAC. “The ACP plays an active role in supporting civil aviation development in China.”

The participants discussed a broad range of inter-related civil aviation issues, including air traffic management, environmental sustainability, and training and leadership development, as well as general and business aviation. All agreed to collaborate in pursuing activities in these four key areas in 2015.

This meeting illustrates how China and the United States are working together to develop joint solutions to the complex issues facing the aviation industry as it responds to continued exponential growth in air traffic and ongoing technological advancements.