The Executive Director of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), Mr Patrick Ky and the Deputy Administrator of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), Mr Li Jian today opened the first joint Safety Conference organised by the two administrations, bringing together leading CEOs from the European and Chinese aviation industry. The conference marks a new high in aviation ties between the European Union and China. These have steadily grown closer over recent years.

In the presence of CAAC Administrator Feng Zhenglin and the European Commission Director General for Mobility and Transport Mr Henrik Hololei, leading members of the aviation community discussed progress on establishing a future Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement (BASA) between China and the European Union. More uniform standards, agreed through the BASA, will make it easier for companies to market their aviation products in China and Europe, while maintaining the high safety record that both regions benefit from.

Trends defining the future of aviation safety were discussed in the different panels of the conference that took place in Shanghai. Topics included implementing efficient safety management systems for maintenance, new technologies and developments in the field of aircraft navigation systems, as well as efforts to promote the wider use of rotorcraft in China, for essential emergency medical services for example.

Successful joint cooperation initiatives include established dialogues in safety matters linked to both airworthiness and flight standards, as well as the EU-China Aviation Partnership Project which supports cooperation between CAAC and EASA with concrete technical cooperation activities involving industry from both China and Europe.

The conference brought all these efforts together by signing a joint declaration to promote international aviation safety as well as a letter of intent supporting the implementation of the EU-China Aviation Partnership Project.