The only difference was that there were more umbrellas this year, and the 2003 aviation expo would be a big event to commemorate the 100th year of human flight history, said Guy Mcleod, president of Airbus China. 
 

He spoke amid heavy rain at the tenth Beijing Aviation Exposition, which will run until September 20.
　　
China's increasing aviation demand and rapid economic growth will provide more opportunities for aviation development, said Zhang Hongbiao, vice-minister of the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense.
　　
In the past 20 years, the Beijing Aviation Exposition has not only helped facilitate communication between manufacturers and airline companies, but also reflected China's aviation development,said Gao Hongfeng, vice-minister of the General Administration of Civil Aviation.
　　
One of the key aspects of the expo was the number of large contracts signed during the event. The cooperation between the China Aviation Industry Corporation II and Eurocopter signified China's aviation was on the way to more internationalization.
　　
China was developing aircraft with its own intellectual property rights. By international cooperation, China's domestic manufactured civil aircraft would soon be favored by the world andChina's aviation industry had gone global, said Liu Gaozhuo, general manager of China Aviation Industry Corporation I.
　　
Some 163 global aviation companies from 22 countries take part in the exposition and experts estimated over 10,000 people will attend.
 
(CRI September 18, 2003)